30 minutes
by thomlina
Summary: Quinn has caused a little too much trouble. Her mother sees this as a threat since she is the future ruler of a small country and sends her off to a boarding school in America to 'grow up' as she so kindly puts it. That is where she meets the girl in pink and their story begins.
1. August

_Out of sight  
Out of mind  
Out of time  
To decide._

_-30 minutes _

_T.A.T.U_

* * *

_The end of August_

"You know, life would be so much easier if you just behaved-"

"Like the future queen should," Quinn replied. Her voice laced with sarcasm, which her mother did not look over. She trained her eyes back down to her phone and smirked. That Heather or was it Susan girl was texting her again. She never behaved. Quinn loved it.

"Quinn! Would you listen to me?"

She sighed and shut off her phone. She looked up at her mother and raised her eyebrows.

"You now have my full undivided attention." She gave her a big fake smile.

Her mother sat across from her, looking tiny in a huge red armchair. She was a frail old woman but always seemed to have the most power in the room, no matter what the situation. She wore a pink and white tweed pant suit and had her hair pulled back into a tight bun. Her glasses sat low on her nose, giving her the look of a half-blind librarian. But she was not a half-blind librarian. She was the queen and a powerful authority figure. She was the type of person that you do not cross. Despite how Quinn was her daughter, she was never let past this power. She often wondered if her mother would be this controlling if she were not the Queen.

But Quinn cannot imagine anyone else ruling their country.

Well maybe besides her father but that is a different story all together.

"A few years from now, you will be crowned the next ruler of this country and I need you to be prepared for that. Dashing off to God knows where, doing only God knows what. We can't have that anymore."

Her phone buzzed inside her pocket and she was glad for once that she had put it on vibrate. She bit her lip, hoping that this lecture would be over soon. Heather or Susan might want to meet up later and-

She smirked.

Her mother crossed her hands tight in her lap and stated with next to no emotion:

"I have decided that the only way for you to finish your education and make something good out of your life would be to send you off to a finishing school."

Her head snapped up. All thoughts of meeting up with Heather or Susan left as fast as they came.

"What?"

"The_ final_ arrangements have been made. You will be going to America in September for the new semester. I have already discussed the matter with your father and he agrees-"

"He agrees? The man who can hardly speak two words in a row?"

She regretted the words he second they came out of her mouth. Her mother practically lived in ignorance of her husband's illness. She had constantly pretended that there was nothing wrong with him and went on business as usual, as if she felt nothing at all. Quinn felt like she never felt anything, she was a robot. Always had been.

Now she saw a few tears well up her eyes and she felt a stab in her heart. Even the light buzzing in her pocket could not bring a smile to her face.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"Of course you didn't," she snapped. She brushed a piece of gray blonde hair out of her face and wiped away her tears. They hadn't even had the chance to fall. She never gave them to chance too.

"You will be attending this school, no if, ands or buts about it." She said, her voice stern.

"But mom-"

"What did I say?"

"No buts," she mumbled.

"Exactly now come on your father is expecting you for a visit. I expect you to visit him as often as possible before your departures in a week's time so, do not even try to get out of it."

She nodded and stood.

"Also, do not meet up with that girl. I know she was texting you. I am not deaf. Cut things off with her. You won't be seeing her again so it will be for the best anyways."

"Yes mother," she muttered. She had no real intention of obeying that request.

She rushed past her and slammed the door behind her. As she walked away she heard her mother sigh. Sometimes rebellion hurt but that didn't mean that wasn't worth it.

Her pocket buzzed. She took it out and typed out a new message.

Meet me in the square in two hours. I have business to take care of first.- QF

_I will be waiting baby. ;]_

Heather or Susan was definitely worth the wait.

Her father's new bedroom was down the hall and to the right. She walked down that hallway, familiarity flooding her vision. She had been down here, so many times. The walls had forever become embedded into her memory, into her very history. She could not imagine a lifetime outside of those walls. She felt trapped by them, so often she did. That was why she had always desired escape.

Why she always ran off with so many different girls. She couldn't even remember their names most of time! That was how many girls there were. Right now though there was just Heather or Susan. The others had better things to do as of late.

It didn't matter to her though. Heather or Susan was beautiful and gave her exactly what she needed. What more could she need out of a relationship?

She turned the corner and headed up to the doorway. A guard stood outside, bored as usual. Nothing ever happened really, though in this day in age, you really just couldn't take chances.

"Miss Fabray," he said with a nod.

She nodded back and let herself in. He closed the door behind her. Her father sat on the bed, propped up by at least a dozen pillows. His body was covered in three blankets by what she could see. An IV port sat next to the bed, the tube connected to his thin wrist feeding him some sort of medication.

A nurse spoon fed him soup while he tried his best to sleep.

Sleeping was all he ever wanted to do these days.

Mr Fabray used to be an impressive man. Tall, stoic and powerful as a Fabray should be. Now he was a weak old man unable to do anything more than swallow his soup and sometimes even failing to do that.

"Mary, could I have a moment?"

The nurse's head snapped up and she muttered out a quick, "of course princess" before setting the soup down and scurrying out of the room. Quinn watched her father he opened his mouth expecting a spoon to be there. He seemed disappointed when there was not one. Quinn smiled and sat down on the edge of his bed. In this state he sometimes seemed so childlike, like the roles for the two of them had been reversed. That was part of the reason why she avoided his rooms like the plague.

"Hey dad," she whispered. "You need to eat more, you know. Keep you strong." She scooped up some of the soup and placed it between his lips. He swallowed and smiled weakly up at her.

The other reason was how she could never treat him as a grown man, only ever as a child. He wasn't the man he once was anymore and it frightened her.

"L-Lucy," he asked.

She nodded. "I'm sorry that I haven't visited you in a while. I have been busy."

He nodded. His eyes lolled, she could tell that she only had a few minutes-maybe less- before he would fall back asleep. She had to make her point quick.

"Dad, do I have to go to that school? Like mom said earlier. I don't want to go. I have so much here and I don't want to leave it all behind. I have a sort of ish girlfriend here and I don't want to leave her to go get an education." She blinked. "You understand, don't you? I know that you do. Maybe before you would have..."

She placed another spoonful into his mouth. He swallowed and looked up at her. His blank stare hit her harder than he probably thought it would.

Sometimes she wished that he would die. Just so that everyone around him wouldn't have to see him disappear so slowly and so profoundly like this. _He was already gone,_ she told herself.

She sighed and fed him the rest of his soup.

She kissed his wrinkled forehead and whispered a goodbye. He nodded off, the drugs causing him to fall back asleep again. She sometimes wondered what he dreamed about. He had to dream since he was asleep most of the time.

Did he dream of his life before? Of his rule and the power he once had?

Sometimes she just wished that he would be able to answer her.

Her pocket buzzed again.

She quickly unlocked it and looked to the screen.

_Come on baby. I want to fuck you until you can't ever forget me._

She smirked and sent a flirty reply back.

Her father stirred next to her. She looked back to him.

He was already falling back asleep and was already into those dreams again. She sighed.

"I'm sorry daddy but I couldn't be your little girl forever."

She stood and started walking back to her room. She had to change before she went to meet Jan or Susan. She had the perfect outfit already picked out in her mind.

She wiped her mind of her father and the little worried girl who had sat with him a few minutes before, Lucy. She turned into this new girl this Quinn sexy, rebellious and downright scandalous.

She sighed. She only had a few more days being Quinn. Her mother would expect to her turn back into her sweet little Lucy soon.

Unless...

Unless she caused more mayhem than ever at this posh little boarding school...unless, she gave every teacher a run for their money and caused every girl to question their sexuality. Yes, she could do that. Quinn could do that, just fine.

* * *

**Opening author's note-**

**Greetings, readers of chapter one. I'd like to thank-you right now for reading this far. I hope you choose to continue. I will be posting a new chapter every week on either Thursday or Friday. Most likely Friday. The story is almost completely written so there will be no late chapter postings. **

**A warning-**

**I would say that this story is rated PG-13. There are mentions of sex and a few fade to black scenes [Will make sense once the story gets started]. **

**So, I hope you liked the beginning and will continue to like the rest of the story. Remember to leave a comment and let me know how you liked it and how I can improve. **

**Bye! :D**


	2. September- Part one

_Random acts of mindlessness  
Commonplace occurrences  
Chances and surprises  
Another state of consciousness_

Tell me nothing ever counts  
Lashing out or breaking down  
Still somebody loses 'cause  
There's no way to turn around.

_-Show me love by T.A.T.U_

* * *

_September- Part one_

Due to strange plane timetables, Quinn arrived a day early and also at five in the morning on that day. The cabbie dropped her off on campus and she stared up at the buildings as she walked past. Would these buildings feel like home to her within a few months?

It certainly looked like home, with its tall old fashioned buildings and cobble stoned streets. A few trees lined the walkway, they were just starting to change color. The orange and reds blended with the green creating an almost picture like quality. Under any other circumstances she would have thought the sight beautiful.

Now she was just annoyed.

Susan [She had finally got the name sorted out] has stopped texting her after she told her about leaving. She was only using her for the sex, just as she was using her. It shouldn't annoy her but it did. People in her life had a horrible habit of abandoning her.

Deciding that it was in her best interest not to dwell on it; she glanced down at her campus map. The buildings were rather strangely sorted, she had no real idea of how she was going to find her way around. The main building however was quite close and she reached it in no time.

She climbed up the stairs and moved to knock on the door. It pulled open before her knuckles could hit the wood.

A strangely happy looking woman looked out and beamed at her.

"Ah, Miss Fabray is it? My name is Luanne Home. I am the head mistress of this school. Do come in."

She opened the door for her and never stopped smiling.

Quinn was finding that look a bit creepy. Maybe all those clichés about head masters/mistresses were true.

She walked into her office and looked around. It was by far the most unorganized slob hole she had ever been into. Papers were stacked on filing cabinets and the drawers were left open, seemingly unused. Book shelves were double stacked and piled in three different ways. Random scraps of paper littered the floor and the _desk_.

Oh Gods, the desk. The desk was covered in papers and stacks of books. A laptop was set among the madness, a layer of dust on the face. A couple of used coffee cups sat on top of papers. She hoped, dearly that they were not important.

"Yes, I do believe my mother sent over the papers."

_Well if you can find them..._

"She did, she did." Mrs Home said, shuffling papers around her desk.

_Someone needs to set this system to digital_, she thought to herself.

"Ah, here we are!" She announced happily.

Quinn wondered just how often this happened in an office like this...she found herself not annoyed by her happiness and even offered her a small smile in return. She considered clapping but decided against it.

Luanne placed a pair of glasses onto her nose and squinted at the page. She tested it by holding it away from her then close to her face. It took a moment before she found the appropriate distance and was able to read it to her.

"Your mother requests that your status remain secret and that you may be a regular student."

"Of course she does."

Luanne nodded and reads off a few more things. "She also requests that you room with someone."

This set off an alarm inside her mind. A roommate, this could be a very good thing or a very bad thing depending on who this new roommate was.

"That's fine," she said. "Who is my new roommate?'

"A Miss Rachel Berry," Luanne read. "Her father owns half of New York City and her other father is...a performer in the musical Rent. He plays the lead, if I'm not mistaken."

Quinn nodded. Well she would not be the only rich kid in this school, then.

"Is she interested in performing then?"

"Yes, she is the lead our Glee club [Show choir group] and more often than not plays the leads in out yearly musical. This year is 'Wicked' in case you were wondering."

She nodded. She was not interested in the information but it was best not to cause arguments.

"Now, your room number is 235 on floor two. You may head up now, if you be quiet or you can wait until later."

"Any chance I could get a shower? It was a really long flight and-"

"Yes, yes of course. Second floor, down the hall to the right, she replied."

"Thank-you," Quinn replied with a small smile.

In truth she was just pleased to be out of her company. For now, she needed to keep a good front. She would turn into the school's scandal after she gets her surroundings down.

The head mistress happily waved her out the door and shuts it behind her. Quinn looked back in surprise. Was she trying to get rid of her?

Well it was 5:30am by now. Maybe she was just tired? Quinn didn't let it bother her as she climbed the four flights of stairs up to the second floor. The second she entered the hall, she noticed two things.

One, the people here need better designers [Honestly, green and white stripes with purple trim? Where are we? A bad 70s movie...] and two, someone was singing in the shower.

She could hear the sound of water hitting tile but over that the delightful sound of a singing voice. Her voice was beautiful.

Curiosity really got the best of her as she quietly pushed open the door. The voice grew louder as she entered. She shut the door behind her.

The washroom was set up with the showers on the far wall. Each stall had a light piece of cloth strung across the opening. Nothing all that fancy, despite this school being made for rich kids. A line of sinks was set up on the wall behind her she noted a small very pink bag set on the side of one of the sinks. So the girl was a femme...

The toilet stalls were set up to the right. The middle of the room was left mostly open save for a few benches that she assumed would be full in a few hours.

The singing was coming from the last stall. The light reflected off the curtain just enough that she could see an outline of the girl inside. Her breath caught in her throat. She was short but lithe. Her hair clung to her back as the water pounded down on her. She could only imagine what she would look like without the curtain separating them.

She licked her top lip.

Quinn watched as she leaned over to scrub her legs before setting herself back into the stream to rinse. The girl let out a small sigh and continued to scrub through her hair.

Suddenly an alarm went off. Quinn practically jumped out of her skin before she realized that it came from the girl's bag. She must have set it so that she wouldn't be in there for hours.

The girl sighed and rinsed herself off again. She really didn't seem pleased to have to leave.

_If I was in there with her, she really never would want to leave._

The thought crossed her mind and she realized how borderline stalker it sounded. She didn't even know this girl. But it was so very true...

The girl switched off the shower. She was wrapping a towel around herself when it finally set in that this was a bit creepy. She was watching this random stranger shower! Even she wasn't that perverted. Quinn quickly slipped out, hoping that she hadn't heard the door close behind her.

* * *

She walked down the hall, hoping that her roommate was awake. Maybe she could slip inside and not have to even worry about that girl hearing her at all.

Before she could even get down the hall, someone walked up behind her. A young girl wearing a short pink house coat carrying a small pink bag walked purposely past her. Her hair was still damp and it clung to the sides of her head and left wet marks on the house coat. For one second, Quinn caught sight of her face.

Her face was thin, with high cheekbones. Without make-up it seems that she has a perfect complexion, clearly brought on by moisturizers by the million or maybe it was just one of those strange perfections that even Quinn didn't have. Her eyes were what caught her attention most though. It was not that they were big and round framed with thick eyelashes. No, it was because of the warm brown color surrounding the pupil. Quinn had never seen anything like it.

Some say, the eyes are the window to the soul. Quinn could practically read her like a book just by looking into those brown eyes. She was ambitious and determined, but vulnerable and unable to express herself completely. She was confident to most people but guarded to some.

Quinn found herself stopping in the middle of the hall while this mystery girl walked on. She was already infatuated by a girl that she had not even said two words to. A girl whose codes she needed to crack. Whose secrets she needed to know and whose lips she needed to feel on hers. Quinn had already made up her mind on how she was going to become this school's next scandal.

She was going to go after the girl in pink.

It took a few minutes for it to really sink in and in those minutes she noticed that the girl had entered a room in the hall. She hadn't even been paying attention to which room it was. She sighed and decided that she could figure out more on this girl later on. Right now, she needed to get to her room and unpack.

She had only brought one suitcase with her when she left. That suitcase containing: her school supplies, her new uniform and a few sets of PJs and underwear to last a few days. Her mother would be sending the rest within a few days. So she dug out her room assignment sheet and re-checked the number before pulling her suitcase down the hall. She read off the numbers as she went before finding the correct one and knocking on the door.

A voice said, "come in" and she opened the door.

A small smile crossed her face when she realized who she would be rooming with. It was the girl in pink. It was Miss Rachel Berry.

Miss Rachel Berry didn't appear to have any shame in dressing in front of people. She was just pulling on a cute little sundress when Quinn entered. She came in just in time to see the back of her pink panties. How much pink does this girl own?

She turned around and smiled. "You must be my new roomie. Hi, I am Rachel Barbra Berry." She held out her hand and Quinn shook it, never breaking eye contact.

"I'm Quinn Fabray," she replied.

Rachel let go of her hand. "Now there are a few things that you should know about me before we start having to share a room. I have this morning routine. I wake up at 5am and by 5:10 I am on the elliptical-" she motioned to the exercise machine behind her- "and by 5:40 I am in the shower and getting ready. I am afraid that I won't be changing my routine even if you're not much of a morning person, I tend to play music while I work out...so..."

"It is fine," Quinn finally said, finding it hard to get a word in edge wise. "I like to run in the mornings so I'll get used to your routine after a while. Though...I don't really know my way around here yet and-"

Rachel had moved over to her dresser and was currently brushing her wet hair. She looked up and stared at her with curiosity.

"Would you like me to show you around?"

She nodded.

"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Normally people don't purposely want to spend time with me."

"I guess I'm not normal then."

Rachel gave her a little smile at that. Quinn decided that she wanted to see that smile as often as possible and began to think up ways to get that smile back.

"Well the Cafeteria doesn't open for another hour. We could go for breakfast at this little cafe I know if you don't want to wait..."

Quinn smiled. "Sounds perfect...I'm going to go get ready. I'll meet you back here in about half an hour."

"Okay," she replies.

The second Quinn shut the door behind her music started up inside of the dorm. She didn't recognize the song but she liked it just the same.

_Maybe my mother was right in sending me here,_ she thought.

* * *

Half an hour later they started walking off campus. Rachel bubbly chatted with Quinn but she was doing most of the talking. They discussed practically every little thing either girl could think of.

Some would call Rachel annoying. Quinn could see now why she was so surprised when she said that she wanted her to show her around town. But she found it was kind of endearing. She was girlfriend material, not just random booty call material. The girl in pink was becoming more and more interesting as time went on.

Though if she kept talking about her abundance of solos, she might have to think up a snappy retort.

They flashed their student cards at the gate and entered the town. The school was located in a very small but quaint village that seemed to specialize in thrift stores and banks. As they walked to the cafe, Quinn noticed at least three thrift stores and two different banks.

"This town is a bit small, isn't it?"

Rachel nodded. 'Yep, but the people here are really nice and they have a great theater...besides a few more years and I'll be on Broadway with my Dads anyways...so..."

She shrugged. "Doesn't really matter at the moment."

"I see," Quinn mumbled.

"Well here we are," Rachel proudly announced. "This is the best cafe in town."

Quinn quickly went in front of her and opened the door. Rachel entered and maybe it was a trick of the light but Quinn could swear that she saw her blush. The pink across her cheeks, had to be the most adorable thing she had ever seen.

Quinn followed in behind her. The lady behind the counter automatically smiled and waved to them.

"Morning Angela."

"Morning Rachel," she replied. "The usual?"

She nodded. "What would you like Quinn?"

Quinn shrugged and looked up to the menu boards. She selected a meal that she actually didn't view as poor people food. Everything she saw on those boards were mostly things that she had never eaten before, and never for breakfast if she had.

So she selected eggs and toast, figuring that if it was the best cafe in town that it wouldn't be too bad. Though she found herself missing her eggs benedict and freshly baked muffins.

The order came through quick, too quick for Quinn's liking. It made her suspect that they had already prepared the meals before they had even arrived. While they waited Rachel chatted with Angela as if she had known her for her entire life. This she found was a bit odd since Rachel only went to school here.

When they sat down with their food, Rachel answered that question for her.

"I work here during the summers and holidays. Angela is my boss."

Quinn found this strange and voiced it.

"Well, it is always nice to have a little extra money on my hands. My Dads are always so busy and sometimes they just forget to send extra spending money. That's all."

Quinn wanted to ask why she would even be here during the summer and holidays but she quickly changed the subject.

"Let's talk about you," she said. "Why are you here?"

_I am the crowned princess of a country you have ever heard of and my mother was getting tired of me getting with every girl I saw and making the tabloids give the royal family a bad name._

"My mom was annoyed with how much trouble I caused," she said.

"What kind of trouble?"

"I may have had more girlfriends than the Beatles have songs."

Rachel paused for a moment before shyly smiling. Quinn got a bit worried, maybe she wasn't comfortable with having a lesbian for a roommate. Maybe she would request a switch and then Quinn would have no chance with her at all...

"Well...sending you off to an all-girls boarding school was punishment for having too many girlfriends? Somehow this doesn't make sense to me." She laughed.

"I know right. I didn't understand it either."

The topics changed freely as they ate through their surprisingly delicious meals. Quinn found herself getting more and more infatuated with the girl in pink as time went on. _How soon could she ask her out on a real date,_ she wondered.

She didn't have much time to wonder about this. Since Rachel boldly announced, "well we have an entire town to explore. We'd better get moving!"

Rachel hopped up and brought their dishes back behind the counter. Angela took them from her and insisted that she needed to stop trying to wash her own dishes since she wasn't working there anymore.

Quinn smiled to herself. The girl in pink was becoming strangely sweet in her mind. Annoying yes but sweet...

She wondered if her parents would approve of her or not. They never approved of her other girlfriends, would they approve of her?

"Where to next?" Quinn asked, linking arms with her.

Rachel smiled at the gesture and didn't try to get out of it.

"To the theater downtown," she replied. "There is a show in about half an hour and I don't want to miss it."

So they left the cafe and headed downtown, Rachel pointing out every little thing on their journey. Quinn found she was enjoying just being around the girl. It was nice despite how she could make things even nicer.

* * *

When they arrived back at the school, the students were up and wandering around. Rachel flashed their Ids at the gate and went through. They had only just entered when-

"Yo man hands!"

Rachel sighed and wiggled her arm out of Quinn's. Quinn raised an eyebrow at her.

"You will glad of it...I'm sure."

Before she could ask what she meant, a Latino girl jogged up to them. She stopped in front of them.

"You mind introducing me to your friend blonde here?"

"I can introduce myself. Quinn Fabray."

"Santana Lopez,' she said with a wink.

Her eyes were scanning Quinn, in her old jeans and band T-Shirt. She seemed to be looking in approval of what she saw. Quinn winked back at her.

Santana smirked.

"Why are you hanging around this loser?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about her, Quinn. She's just upset because I never put out for her."

"I am convinced that you will, someday."

"I can get you what you clearly want." She yawned and stretched her arms above her head. Her T-Shirt pulled up over her toned stomach.

"Slut," Rachel said between two coughs.

"Prude," Santana replied.

She rolled her eyes.

"I need to get going, meeting some of my girls later. Keep your options open, Quinn Fabray."

She turned and walked away, swinging her hips back and forth as she did.

"Is there something going on between you two?"

No! God, no. Why would you think that?

Quinn shrugged. "Your reaction tells me just about everything I need to know, actually. I plan to avoid her."

Rachel looked up at her, the surprise evident on her face. "I thought you might be interested in her..."

"I'm trying to change my tune. Maybe be the good girl for once."

'I think I like that."

"I think I like it, too."

In truth, Quinn was still keeping her options open. If Santana was willing and ready...maybe she could be a booty call, if need be. It was fine to keep her options open, she always believed.

As she watched Santana walk away, she wondered to herself.

What the hell was this school like? Where were all the teachers, anyway?

And what did she mean by meeting her girls?

* * *

By the end of the day, she decided that this place was practically lesbian heaven. She had been hit on at least five times and had several invites to late night parties back in the forested area of the campus, where apparently there was next to no security.

Once she voiced the question that had been on her mind for ages. "Is everyone here a lesbian?"

A girl passing her in the halls laughed and replied with, "only the fun ones." She gave her a sultry wink and walked on by.

She took all these invitations with some interest but then remembered her mission. To get the girl in pink...she wanted a girlfriend, not a late night booty call. That was old news.

She wasn't a player anymore.

Though she was the best player in the game...

No, she needed to change her tune if she didn't want to get in trouble again.

There were classes the next day and it appears that the two girls only had one class together: History. Quinn knew plenty about the history of her home country, sure but there was not that much history to know. They had only been founded about 200 years before...

However American history seemed to have more and more to learn...there did not seem to be an end to all this knowledge. A textbook was dropped on her desk the first day. It was thicker than both her wrists put together. The professor was also quick to inform them that they were only covering the 1900s to present. There was just so much to get used to!

Rachel sat next to her in class. She was attentive and active in class discussions to a point where it might be considered annoying. Every time she raised her hand, the class let out a collective groan despite how she had just saved them half an hour's discussion by just giving the correct answer right away.

Quinn additively found it slightly annoying as well but she did not voice it aloud.

The one class she liked more than anything was one that she did not have Rachel in. It was her advanced art course. They were viewing basic drawing skills and Quinn could see that she was already so far ahead of them.

Despite how she had not drawn anything worthwhile for several months...she had been too busy hooking up with five different girls each night to practice. She needed to review shadows and toning but other than that she was right up there with the masters.

The teacher noticed this, right away. Teachers tend to notice their most intelligent students. It helps to single out who had the most potential and who did not. She complimented her on her sketches and Quinn could not help but beam with pride. Maybe there was something that she was good at.

Quinn sketched a face while she half-listened to the teacher drone on about shadowing. It was her sort of girlfriend Susan.

* * *

After classes that day, Quinn packed up her drawing pencils and paper. She slipped out of the room, a few minutes late since she had stopped to talk with the professor. The halls were already completely empty.

She shrugged and decided to head back up to her room.

A grasped hers from behind. In a second she found herself pinned up against the hall by a Latino whose name she certainly remembered. She laced their fingers together and smirked.

"I know you," she whispered.

"N-no you don't."

"Yes, I do," she replied. She leaned so her lips practically touched her ear but not quite. Her breath spread out across the delicate flesh and she shivered. "You are the girl who hooked up every other night. You are the player who was considered the most valuable player in the game. You caused so much havoc that your mommy and daddy sent you here, hoping you'd straighten out. You know how I know this?"

She shook her head.

"It is because I am that girl. My parents shipped me here without a second glance and yet I still play...and I know that you want to, too."

"Maybe I don't."

Her lips curled upwards and she kissed the underside of her ear. Her lips just brushing enough to make her crave more, to make her want to spin around and slam her against a wall where she'd attack her lips something fierce.

She held back though. Girls like this were not ones to be fooling around with. She could have a motive for doing this.

Gah- what was she thinking?

"I know you do," she said. "And you know it too."

She kissed down her throat, slowly and seductively. Quinn had to bite the side of her cheek to hold back her groan. She the edge of her uniform shirt and yanked it down to reveal her collarbone. She kissed and sucked on the skin there until Quinn couldn't hold it back any longer.

She moaned. The noise seemed so loud in the empty hallway that it almost felt embarrassing.

Santana saw this as a victory and kissed back up to her lips. She licked her own before latching them onto hers.

She kissed like Susan, with fire and confidence. She had kissed many girls before and the practice showed with each movement against her. She licked across her lips and Quinn gleefully let her in. Quinn let her explore before taking more charge of the kiss herself. She licked up and down her tongue, issuing delicious moans from Santana.

It was a moment before they came up for air, in that moment there was a rather awkward pause when Quinn spoke.

"Tell me about...Rachel Berry."

The grip on her hand loosened.

"Why the hell would you want to know about her?'

The kiss seemed all but forgotten and part of her wanted to rewind back to it. Santana was a damn good kisser.

"I'm just curious. Why you called her a prude and-"

Santana rolled her eyes. She backed up at least a foot and glared at her straight in the eyes.

"Rachel Berry is little twit who needs to learn what is good for her. She is annoying and selfish and never knows when to stop. Plus, she has refused me more than enough times..."

She cocked an eyebrow.

'Why are you interested in her?"

"Maybe a bit," she admitted.

There was another pause.

"Well making out with me in a hallway isn't going to get RU-Paul into your arms, is it?"

"What?"

"You heard me. I'll help you get with the beast if you come behind the science wing tonight. Just one night and I know you are well aware of what will happen."

Quinn smirked. "Well I may have been in that myself-"

"How many?"

"Four," she replied.

"Not bad but I've gotten five."

Quinn laughed. She was starting to like this girl. Her attitude was kind of refreshing in a strange way that she couldn't really explain.

"Now the question is...finish what we started or go do our homework."

Their eyes met in a fiery sort of passion as the answer was evident to the both of them. There was no real need to voice it as their lips met once again.

They didn't have sex in that hallway. Mostly because of the fact that the teachers would be coming out of their classrooms at some point but also because of the new deal that was formed between them.

Quinn could have the girl in pink sooner than she had originally thought.

* * *

It was about half an hour later when Quinn got back to the dorm room. She was disappointed that Rachel was not there but then remembered that she probably had Glee club that day. She didn't know how long Glee ran so she just made herself comfortable on her bed, her books stacked around her. She began the mountain of homework that she had not been expecting when she checked yesterday.

She was just getting through her math homework when the door opened. Rachel practically skipped into the room and shut the door behind her. She was humming a tune under her breath and hadn't even noticed that Quinn was sitting there. She smiled.

"Something good happen?"

Rachel practically jumped out of her skin.

"Oh, it's you," she said catching her breath. "You scared me."

"Sorry but I divert to my original question. Did something good happen?"

"Something very, very good happened."

She plopped down onto her bed and grinned over at her.

"I got the solo in this coming competition. I was expecting but still it is great to see my talent recognized. I will be singing, Loves me not by T.A.T.U. Russian version of course. It took awhile to convince my Mr Shue to let us sing their songs but it was worth it. Do you know them?"

Quinn shook her head.

Rachel didn't respond and just switched on her iPod stand.

"It is two girls singing," Quinn said after a few moments. She had never heard an actual recorded love song by two girls before...it was nice and also strange in a good way.

"Yes, yes it is. This song is called 'All the things she said' and it just has to be one of my favorite duets ever."

"How do you know it's beautiful if it is in Russian?"

Quinn was half-expecting her to say something like, 'oh, I speak Russian, I'm fluent.' She was not expecting her response.

"You don't need to understand something to know that it is beautiful, Quinn. I don't know if it is beautiful or not in lyrics wise...but somehow I just know that it is. Does that sound odd?"

"No, not at all...just I've never heard anyone respond to music that way before."

"I take my music very seriously, Miss Fabray. I listen to anything and everything, really. I find most music to be beautiful but it all has meaning...either way."

She smiled.

"I think that's beautiful, Rachel. Can you show me which song you will be singing?"

Rachel beamed. "That was not a request that she was asked very often."

She switched the song and let the music flood over them. They both completed their homework in their own separate bubbles, never speaking to each other but connected by song while they worked. Halfway through the album, Rachel started singing along and Quinn could not think of anything more perfect.

The silence between them did not break until they noticed the time and had to head down for dinner. They chatted about anything and everything while they walked down all those stairs.

Quinn had climbed so many stairs in that day alone that she was convinced that she had already lost three dress sizes.

On their way down, they passed Santana who was holding the arm of a tall blonde girl. She turned and winked in her direction before climbing the rest of the stairs.

"What was that?" Rachel asked.

"Nothing," she replied. "Absolutely nothing."

* * *

**Author's note-**

**The details of the girl's sex life will not be included. It will be brushed over but I can assure you that it does have meaning and does make sense to the story itself.**

**On another note, the chapters will probably remain at about this length from now on. I will be splitting each month in half so some chapters may be longer than others.**

**Also thank-you for the reviews and alerts! I was very surprised and am very happy that there is so much interest in this story. Thank-you for that. **

**Now I hope that you enjoy the rest of the story and feel free to let me know in a review or a PM. **


	3. September- Part two

_Mother looking at me  
Tell me what do you see?  
Yes, I've lost my mind_

Daddy looking at me  
Will I ever be free?  
Have I crossed the line?

_-All the things she said by T.A.T.U_

* * *

_September-Part Two_

She didn't leave until after the warden had come around. She had heard a few rumors that she only came around once but she still stuffed her blankets just the same. She crept past a sleeping and snoring Rachel and out into the hallway. It was dark and there was no sign of life anywhere.

She somehow managed to get out of the building and across the campus without getting caught. She viewed this as a minor victory and choose not to question it. Out behind the science wing were three girls. They were waiting for her, passing a bottle of something among themselves.

Santana grinned when she saw her coming. She was pulled down beside her and introduced around.

The blonde one was Brittany and the Asian one was Tina. The two girls glanced up at her and seemed to accept her presence even though Santana had failed to mention that she would be coming here, today.

Santana passed her the bottle and she took a swing without even questioning it.

"So ladies," Santana began. "This is my new girl Quinn and she wants to get with Rachel."

"I thought we agreed that Rachel was a hobbit...and don't hobbits have hairy feet...why would you want to have sex with someone with hairy feet?" Brittany asked.

Quinn wondered if she was drunk already. She looked for signs that she might be joking or...but no her face remained blank.

"Why would you want Rachel?" Tina asked. I-I mean she is _Rachel_."

That doesn't seem like a very good argument.

"I just have this little crush thing on her," Quinn said. "She is also very hot and I have noticed this...often...everyday..."

Santana shrugged. "She isn't wrong there...though if she wasn't such a prude...then things would be different. But I told you that I would help you get with her and I will keep that promise."

"W-we'll need a plan."

"Tina, put the stutter away. This isn't health class."

Tina crossed her arms over her chest and downright pouted. She honestly looked adorable, like a cartoon character.

"My signs of defense are nothing to be made fun of."

Brittany causally leaned over and pecked her pouted lip. She stopped pouting right away.

"So we will need a plan," she announced boldly without the stutter.

"Much better," Santana muttered. "Now this 'friends' idea works but it is often very annoying. So I say make a move on her."

"San, this isn't just any girl. She isn't like any other girl that I have been with. Those girls are just looking for a hook-up...I can't explain it but I can see myself actually having a relationship outside of sex with her and I just don't want to screw it up."

The girls in the circle all nodded in agreement. They all were friends with benefits for anything but each one of them would drop everything for even a chance at the real thing.

Santana peered across the circle to Brittany and smiled. Yes, she would drop everything for a chance to be with her, as in a real thing. Not just a late night booty call. She dropped her gaze the second her eyes wandered back over to her. She took a huge swing of the bottle to distract her. She just hoped that Britt had not noticed her glance.

"Well, first you need to join Glee club. Can you sing or dance or something?"

She nodded.

"Good then you can fight to sing duets with her then."

Brittany met her gaze.

"I want to own Glee club," she said. "People in Glee always sing out their issues...I want to be able to do that too."

Santana just smiled and reached her hand across the circle. Brittany grabbed her hand and began drawing circles on her palm.

"I'll join too. You jumping in on this sexually confused Asian?" She asked, turning to Tina.

Tina smirked. "Hell ya," she replied. "It'll be nice having the spotlight for once."

Tina crossed her hand over the circle and grabbed Quinn's. For a moment they just sat there, their inter-joined hands signaling a new bound over friendship and a common goal.

* * *

The ladies were true to their word. The next day they all signed up for Glee club and that very same day they all had their auditions. Mr Shue seemed surprised but also delighted in the new arrivals and welcomed them warmly.

As he should, since only now do they actually have enough members to compete in the national competitions. If only he knew that the newest members were only here to help Quinn win over the girl in pink...

"Hi, I'm Quinn Fabray and I will be singing one of my favorite songs, Far away by Nickelback."

_This time, This place  
Misused, Mistakes  
Too long, Too late  
Who was I to make you wait  
Just one chance  
Just one breath  
Just in case there's just one left  
'Cause you know,  
you know, you know_

Rachel was a bit surprised by her song choice. She didn't seem like a classic rock type of girl to her. But she sang it and added a new feminine touch to the song.

Rachel found herself to be quite impressed and clapped the loudest once she finished. Quinn grinned to her and moved off the stage to sit next to her.

"You did great," she whispered. "You will get in for sure...Though a bit pitchy towards the end but we can work on that."

She wasn't questioning whether or not she would get in. She was certain that she would get in the teacher really had no choice but to let her in. He was very, very behind in members.

Santana and Brittany took to the stage. San impatiently waved to the piano man and he started up half a second later. She smirked happily and took Brittany's hand.

Brittany smiled shyly and began to sing the opening lines of their duet.

_You are always on my mind  
All I do is count the days  
Where are you now?_

Quinn cocked an eyebrow and watched with renewed interest. There was just something there that wasn't there before or at she hadn't noticed it there before. Just in the way that she held her hand or in the way that she looked at her.

_I really wish that you'd stay but what can we do  
All the days that you've been gone I dreamed about you  
And I anticipate the day that you will come home, home, home_

And when Rachel leaned over to her and whispered in her ear, "We should try and get them together, she was convinced of it. Santana was in love with Brittany and if she was not mistaken, the feeling was mutual."

"Yes, I do think we should try to get them together," she whispered back once the song was over.

_If only you knew, Rachel,_ she thought.

Rachel smiled in agreement and clapped along with everyone else. Santana took a moment to realize that the song was over and her staring at Brittany was no longer appropriate. She looked away, a slightly embarrassed smile crossing her lips.

Quinn did not think she was even capable of such a thing. The two of them held pinkies as they climbed off the stage and back into the rows of seats. Quinn watched them go and from then on thought of them as a couple. She wondered why Santana didn't think of them that way.

Tina took to the stage next. She stared out to the crowd like a deer caught in the headlights. She didn't motion to the piano man she just stared.

"Tina," Mr Shue asked. "Whenever you are ready."

Her heartbeat was pounding in her ears, she could hardly even hear herself think. The Glee club members eyes were all on her and she caved under the pressure.

A few moments later and she simply ran off the stage, stuttering out an excuse.

She feared that she might faint.

Santana rolled her eyes.

"Come on Britt, we need to go intervene." She and Britt ran out of the auditorium after her.

Mr. Shue took to the stage and smiled awkwardly to the auditorium.

"That was eventful and I am pleased to announce that we have three new members. Congratulations to Quinn, Santana and Brittany."

The small group of girls clapped for them.

"Now, we need to discuss song selections for sectionals. There is this journey song that I think would be amazing and-"

* * *

"Well I think it is great that you have joined Glee club," Rachel announced while they walked back to their dorm later that night. "It is a bit of work but it is worth it, trust me. We have two more competitions after sectionals and believe me, we will make it. We haven't ever since I started going here but now that we have so many fantastic new voices...we will win, I just know it."

Quinn let her talk on and on. She didn't mind. Rachel was just so excited by simple things she found. She didn't need much to get excited over.

Buzz...buzz...buzz...

"One second, Rachel." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. It was her mom.

"I have to take this," she said in apology.

Rachel nodded and headed back up to their room. Quinn smiled, she was humming under her breath.

"Hey," she answered.

"Hello," her mom replied. "How is the school?"

"I'm still mad that you made me come here. But things are...looking up, I think."

She smiled at Rachel's retreating back and almost didn't hear the next thing her mother said.

"Your father misses you."

"How could he miss me?" She said coming back to the present. "He misses his daily soup...If anything."

"He's been calling your name, Lucy for days now...ever since you left."

"My name is not _Lucy._"

Her mother sighed on the other end of the phone.

"I know you go by Quinn now even though I really cannot understand why but...your father misses you and he wants you to come home."

"Do you want me to come home?"

There was a pause on the other end.

"I'm sure the tabloids have been so boring ever since I left, right? I'm not there to cause trouble."

"But your father-"

"Is dead," she replied. "He has been for a while now."

"Lucy-"

"It is Quinn, mom. Lucy is gone now and you very well know that."

"Fine, Quinn don't forget about your family. I know it might seem easy just to start over in a new place but please don't forget your father. He needs you in his last moments and-"

"So you are finally admitting that his last moments might be coming soon then?"

She swallowed and there was a pause. Quinn almost heard a choked sob on the other end but she was certain that she was mistaken, her mother never cried...not ever. She was strong, stoic and the perfect leader...and perfect leaders do not cry.

"Yes, your father...my husband might be gone soon and I have come to accept that as truth. I will call you if he gets any worse."

"Don't. Do not call me, ever." Quinn snapped. "I do not want to hear how a dead man is doing..._Lucy_ is not me...not anymore and she never will be, again. There is only Quinn and Quinn doesn't have parents."

There was a sob and then the call ended. Quinn shoved the phone into her pocket and looked around herself frantically. She needed a way out, she needed an escape.

She ran down the halls and out the door. She ignored the frantic looks that were cast her way. She just flew.

She ran until she hit the forested area towards the back of the campus. Branches nipped at her arms as she flew through the trees. She shoved them away, she needed out. She needed somewhere...

She ran until there was no chance that anyone could find her.

Her knees slammed into the ground and she screamed. She screamed until her voice started to crack. She screamed until her throat began to hurt and she had to stop for a breath. And even after she continued in silent screams with silent tears rolling down her cheeks.

When that finally came, she laid down on the ground. She held her sides as if holding herself together. She felt as though she was being ripped apart.

Torn between her childhood as Lucy and her recent rebellion as Quinn...

She shut her eyes to the world and fell into a daydream. The memories rushed back to her and she felt as though she were re-living them.

_She was young again. A little girl with long blonde hair tied back in a ribbon, a little girl held onto her father's hand; and smiled brightly to everyone. The country's little angel...the girl who everyone admired and who everyone thought was just plain adorable. They never thought of her as a person, just as a child to be photographed. A child could not see this and just plain enjoyed the attention. _

_She held onto her father's hand as he took pictures for the press. She smiled as he held her up, an angel. An angel was something to be admired, as he always said._

_He used to play with her when the cameras were away. They would play pretend and she would be the brave knight. He would be the dragon who was guarding her 'prince'. It was always a princess in her mind but she never told him that. She always thought that he wouldn't approve of it, somehow._

_He would say, "Luce you are one interesting princess."_

_She could never remember him saying anything different. Whenever she pictured him, it was always that sentence flashing across her mind. She was interesting...she was different._

_Her rebellious years began once she grew out of the pigtails._

_She cut her hair short and burnt the ribbons. She began wearing T-Shirts of bands no one had ever heard of and started ripping her jeans because that was how they wore them in America. She always stood out her insistence to be different was never overlooked. _

_Also her insistence to be in control...she always had to have control over her life and what happened in it. She always had to be the one calling the shots, always the one who held the most power._

_Her father saw that need for power as a good thing. Something that she would need once she entered her own rule. But her mother didn't see it that way. She saw it as her ruining the family and the bringing scandal to the country._

_When she had her first 'girlfriend' her mother was convinced that she was doing all of this just to spite her. But she wasn't, she was trying to become this new person._

_This Quinn..._

_The idea of changing her name came when she first entered a club underage. She needed a name that the entire country didn't know. So she chose her middle name. It was not a lie. Many people went by her middle names these days; she was just joining the trend._

_Besides hearing a girl moan out Quinn was way hotter than Lucy._

_She told her mother by accident. When she called her Lucy, she hadn't responded right away. She had become so used to being Quinn that she hadn't realized that some people still saw her as Lucy._

_She in her mind viewed Lucy as the young girl with ribbons. She was not that girl anymore and never would be again._

_She told this to her mother and that started their arguments. They would be fierce and worrying, it sometimes felt as though an ocean separated them. An ocean that neither of them could cross and sometimes neither of them even tried. _

_It was around that time that her father started to get sick. It was hardly noticeable at first, just him being a bit more tired than usual, just him having less of an appetite...nothing to be worried about._

_Or so they thought._

_While mother and daughter fought, father fell into the worst illness of his life._

_They didn't realize how bad it was until the doctor ordered him to bed rest. Then everything became serious and they started to prepare for the death of him. Lucy would have sat by him for every second. She never would have left him be._

_But this was Quinn and she played by her own rules. She saw her father as a dead man living. His days were numbered and she had already said her goodbyes._

_Her mother didn't understand that._

_She still, for the longest time, pretended that he was happy and alive. Quinn knew the truth though, he was gone and he had been for a long while._

_Quinn didn't have a father, she never did._

* * *

She didn't move from that spot until the sun started to go down and she realized that she should probably get up. A part of her did not want to leave. A part of her wanted to stay here and not have to worry about a thing. But then she got the thought that Rachel might be worried. She couldn't do that to one of the few people in her life whose opinions actually matter to her.

She returned to her dorm to find that Rachel had already started her nightly routine and was not there. So she just collapsed into bed, not even worrying about getting into her PJs.

She just needed rest.

Her phone went off later, another call from her mother. She canceled it the second she noticed who it was and went back to sleep. She heard when Rachel came back but didn't make any sort of noise to let her know that she did. She just buried her head farther into the pillows and pretended to be asleep.

Her dreams were muddled. Full of little girls with ribbons and older girls dressed like rock stars. She tried as hard as she could to shove away the little girls. To tell them that they didn't need their hair ribbons and dollies anymore...she didn't need them anymore.

But she kept coming back. The angels always came back as long as mortals needed their help.

But Quinn slept on and soon enough Lucy faded into the background.

Forgotten

* * *

"Our competition for sectionals is fierce guys- er- ladies and we need to be ready." Mr Shue announced to the class. "We have our songs selected so now we just need to get the performances themselves down."

He clapped and grinned to them. Quinn vaguely imagined a serial killer having the same reaction to a group of fresh victims. She turned to Rachel to share this with her but she seemed to be paying very close attention to every single word that he says.

"So Rachel, have you been practicing your solo?"

She was nearly jumping out of her seat.

"Yes, of course Mr Shue. A thousand times yes. I do believe though I need one more run through however and-"

"You may perform to the group, Rachel." He said this with almost a sigh.

Rachel hopped up and rushed up onto the stage.

"Well as you all know, I will be performing the song 'Nas ne dogonyat' by T.A.T.U. I feel this song has some real dangerous and intriguing emotion behind it and I am thrilled to be able to perform it for you all today."

Someone coughed back behind everyone else and it vaguely sounded like they were saying 'loser.' Quinn was tempted to slam whoever said that head's in. But Rachel didn't seem to notice as she signaled to the band to start up the song. It was powerful song and not many people would be able to pull it off but this was Rachel Berry. She could sing for the best of them and often breached the boundaries of impossible.

_Tol'ko Skazhe  
Dal'she nas dvoye  
Tol'ko ogni_

_Aerodroma_

_My ubezhim  
Nas ne Dogonyat  
Dal'she ot nikh  
Dal'she ot doma_

Noch' provodnik  
Spryach' nashi teni  
Za oblaka  
Za oblakami

Nas ne naydut  
Nas ne izmenyat  
Im ne dostat  
Zvezdy rukami

Nyebo uronit  
Noch' na ladoni  
Nas ne dogonyat  
Nas ne doganyat

Nyebo uronit  
Noch' ne ladoni  
Nas ne dogonyat  
Nas ne dogonyat

Nas ne dogonyat

My ubezhim  
Vse budet prosto  
Noch' upadet  
Nebo uronit

I pustota na perekrestkakh  
I pustota nas ne dogonyat  
Ne govori, im ne ponyatno  
Tol'ko be nikh

Tol'ko ne nimo  
Luchshe nikak  
No ne obratno  
Tol'ko ne s nemi  
Tol'ko ne s nemi

Nas ne dogonyat

Nebo uronit  
Noch' na ladoni  
Nas ne dogonyat  
Nas ne dogonyat

Nebo uronit  
Noch' na ladoni  
Nas ne dogonyat  
Nas ne dogonyat

Nas ne dogonyat'

She powered through the song without a single mess-up and it honestly did not sound like she needed anyone's critique or opinion on her performance. It was perfect despite how no one in the room spoke Russian the lyrics became something else entirely. They formed new meanings inside their minds.

Rachel finished off the song with one last powerful note and waited for one second before the applause began.

"Fantastic Rachel, now for our duet...Jan and Susan...Are you ready to perform to the class?"

"Susan's not here, she's sick." Jan called out to him.

"Alright we will just have to practice our group number. Everyone from the top on 'Don't stop believing'." He clapped twice and they all rushed to their places. Quinn sighed, this was going to be one long rehearsal.

* * *

Hours later Quinn collapsed onto her bed. Rachel fell down beside her and said, "Well that has to be without a doubt in my mind the hardest rehearsal Mr. Shue has ever put us through."

"Really?"

"Yes, really...even with all my own physical fitness and dance lessons...I could hardly keep up and that is truly saying something."

'He must really want to win, huh?"

Rachel nodded." He has to win or we'll end up losing funds. Gosh, I won't even have time to join up for the school musical with all this work." She groaned.

'Well, as you said before, 'it is all worth it.'"

"It is worth it but sometimes it is just...gah..."

"Gah? That is your response? Miss somehow manages to cram words never used in this century before...responds with gah. Somehow this does not make sense to me."

Rachel laughed and peered over at Quinn, only to find that she was also looking at her. She held her breath her a second while her eyes met. Quinn didn't say anything, she only stared at her with such intensity that Rachel found that she forgot what they had been talking about before.

What had they been talking about?

Why couldn't she even remember her own name?

All there was; was Quinn.

She realized that she really didn't mind this idea.

Rachel glanced down to her lips and noticed with a shock, that she had never noticed her perfect lips. They were just round and plump enough. She could see herself touching those lips...perhaps with her own-

What was she thinking?

Quinn smiled, her smile making it all the way to her eyes and make down again.

"You will do just fine in that competition, Rachel. I know it."

She reached down and gave her hand a quick squeeze before sitting up. Quinn was only right there, but she wanted to pull her back down again and continue this staring contest. She wanted to see if those lips were really as sweet as they looked.

What was she thinking, again?!

She has known this girl for a little over a week and she was thinking...that about her?

Quinn stood up and headed over to her school bag and dragged it to her bed.

"I have math homework," she said. "Not my best subject...Want to help me out?"

Rachel could think of quite a few things that she wanted to help her out with and homework was not one of them.

But she still said, "S-sure."

Quinn smiled and opened up her textbook. It took a few minutes for Rachel to get her head out of the gutter to actually be able to help her with her work but she did help.

Math turned out to be one of the better subjects for Rachel and she helped her out plenty...avoiding her eyes as much as possible and avoiding looking at her lips.

* * *

"Ladies we have made a breakthrough!" Quinn announced before taking a very happy swing out of the bottle.

"You finally nailed the hobbit?"

"But...hobbits live in the shire and we are not in the shire..."

'Better, she was looking at me-"

"In a lusty and needy way-"

"Exactly, she looked very attracted to me last night when we were doing our homework after Glee. She kept avoiding looking at me and every time she time she did she was blushing."

Santana shrugged. "Eye sex is a start but we still have a long way to go."

She stole the bottle back from Tina and took a swing.

"Hey, I was drinking that!" She protested.

"No more drinks for you if you don't stop being such a little pansy."

"I froze up at my audition...big deal." She rolled her eyes. "The world is clearly going to end because I didn't get into Glee club."

"Yes it will, because everyone gets into Glee club, Tina and the universe will die from shock that you didn't. It is sad that you didn't...in a really pathetic and forever alone type of way."

She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

"I do what I want San," she insisted.

"And what you want to do is freeze up at auditions and basically everything else?" Britt added.

She sighed. "It's just who I am...I can't break out of it."

"Tina, if I can actually go after a girl that I am starting to have feelings for then you can re-do your audition and _nail_ it." She set her hand on Tina's thigh and nodded once before backing off.

"That was so hot." Santana added, fanning herself. "Pass me that bottle."

"It's all gone already," Brittany said, looking down inside of it to check for any extra liquid.

Santana sighed and leaned back against the school.

"Alright we now have two missions. Get your girl and get Tina to stop stuttering...in public."

"The second will probably be easier than the first," Quinn muttered.

* * *

As it turns out, she was completely correct. Getting Tina into Glee club was a simple mission. She arranged for another audition [Took a week to convince him to give her another chance] and sang only for Mr. Shue and also her three friends who hid very far back in the theater while she performed.

They ducked behind the seats in the very last row.

She froze up at first and had to have the band re-start the song. But only once did that happen. The second time the song began to play, she sang. She sang like she never sang before. Honestly before then Santana had not been totally convinced that she could sing but now she knew for certain that she was just as talented as any member of the Glee Club. She deserved to be there just as much as anyone else.

They just needed to get rid of her stage fright and the dreaded stutter. She would be alright though. They could see it already.

When the very last note was sung, Brittany couldn't help herself. She sprung up and clapped for her. The other two shrugged and joined her, cat calling and wolf whistling along. Mr. Shue clapped politely until they were done.

Tina smiled shyly and played with her hands while she waited for her standing ovation to end. The second it did, there was a moment of silence.

Mr. Shue broke that.

"We need to work on your high notes and your stage presence. However your voice is amazing and will be a great addition to our little group. Welcome to Glee Club."

Tina was smiling so wide that she was afraid her face would crack on either side.

'Thank-you so much for giving me a second chance," she said. There was not one hint of a stutter in her voice.

"No problem at all Tina, be here at four tomorrow. You have a lot to catch up on before our competition in a few weeks. Ladies!" He called to the back wing. "Come congratulate your friend properly." It felt like seconds before they had all gathered on the stage.

He walked out, not once looking back.

Brittany trapped her in a smoldering hug and kissed her cheek. Tina blushed.

"We all knew that you could do it," Quinn said kissing her other cheek.

"Santana," she asked. "Anything to say?"

"Sexually confused Asian, you did well." She closed the distance between them in a short kiss.

"Do I get a reward for it?" She asked, her eyebrows rose in a highly sexy question.

"I thought you'd never ask," Santana replied with a smirk.


	4. October- Part one

_October- Part one_

* * *

_3 missed calls_

_10 new text messages_

_3 new voicemails_

* * *

Quinn sighed and went through her phone deleting them all without reading them. It was all from her mother of course. There were always new messages. She was seriously considering changing her number. But she never did. In a way she was glad that her mother had finally started to pay attention to her but not enough to apologize. She would have to make up with her eventually however she planned on taking as much time as possible before she did. Let her mother feel neglected for once, it might teach her a lesson.

She peeked over her phone. Rachel's bed was still as empty as it was a few seconds before, when she had last checked. She had no idea where she was. She was not answering her phone and there was no Glee today, as far as she knew at least and Rachel wasn't in any other clubs.

So where was she?

She was getting a bit worried. Rachel had never broken one of their study dates [As she called them inside her head]. She needed help with her math and she knew for certain that Rachel had not been paying attention in history.

That was how it worked. They simply helped each other out, in the subjects where they either lacked knowledge or simply lacked interest.

Well, she would be if she knew where the hell she was.

_Do you know where TGIP is? –QF_

_Rachel? No clue...Haven't seen her at all today. –SL_

The door swung open and Rachel skipped inside. And by skipped, literally skipped as if she was traversing down the yellow brick road with an annoying yappy dog following behind her. She grinned, a grin that would frighten the Cheshire cat.

Quinn tired not to make it look like she had been waiting for her arrival and just smiled.

"Did something good happen?"

"Very, very good," she said falling back onto her bed. She was grinning like an idiot and Quinn knew that look. Her eyes widened and she plan out panicked before Rachel even confirmed her fears.

"I met someone today and I am going out with her tomorrow."

The words repeated in her mind.

_I met someone...going out with her tomorrow. _

_I met someone. _

_Someone that is not you..._

"Really," she asked once she managed to speak.

"Yep, her name is Jan and she's in Glee Club with us. She asked me out in French today. I have just been smiling like crazy ever since."

"Is that why you took so long to get back up here...Because you were smiling like an idiot?"

Rachel laughed and rolled over to look at her.

"No, I stopped in the auditorium for an impromptu musical number."

Not wishing to dwell on this new girl, she asked a question that she knew would make Rachel pleased.

"Which song?"

"You wouldn't know it. "

"Try me."

''I'm yours' from Jason Mraz."

"An interesting choice," she mumbled.

"I agree but it just felt right at the time."

Quinn bit the inside of her cheek and looked away for a second. Rachel Berry was really just too cute. It would kill her one of these days, she was certain of it.

"Help me with my homework, please? I didn't understand a word that the teacher was saying today."

Rachel came to sit on her bed and read over the questions. Her brow furrowed and she let out the smallest of smiles.

"This is easy, Quinn you really need to pay more attention."

"Why would I when I can just have you explain it to me afterwards?"

She blurted it out before she could stop herself. Rachel met her gaze for half a second before looking away, her cheeks burning red.

"I am sure the teacher could explain it better."

"I am not certain of that, Professor Berry."

"That just sounds so peculiar. I could never see myself as a teacher unless it was teaching music."

"What sounds even more peculiar is the fact that you can get words like 'peculiar' into everyday conversation."

"It's a quirk," she replied without a second thought.

I guess so, Quinn laughed. Come on, I'll never get this done without your help."

"What would you do without me?"

"I honestly have no idea, Professor Berry."

* * *

Santana was certain that Quinn was wearing a hole into the floor. She had been pacing for at least ten minutes now, completely ignoring the rest of them. Her only form of communication coming in light mumbles that no one could understand.

And so, Santana pulled out a bottle of blood red nail polish and kicked off her shoes. She spread out her leg on the science table and began painting her left foot.

Brittany sat down behind her and asked in the quietest of voices, "Can I braid your hair for you?"

"Of course Britt," she replied.

Tina sat in across from them, on the other lab table sending texts on her phone that she hoped no one else could see. Though the light blush spread across her cheeks was evidence enough.

It was a few minutes before Quinn had stopped pacing and faced them. Santana had finished her toes. Brittany was too busy running her fingers through San's hair to braid it and she did not mind one bit.

"San, I don't know what to do."

"Calm down, Quinn," she finally said getting real tired of their pacing.

"How can I possibly calm down! She is going out with this Jan tomorrow and I haven't even had the chance to tell her how I feel about her."

"You have had every chance and do not worry about Jan." She sent her a sly little wink that both turned her on and frightened her.

"Why?" In truth she was a scared of the answer. Santana was not known to be kind to her enemies.

"She has every right to be worried." Tina interjected, briefly glancing up from her phone.

San turned to her and smirked. "Well she doesn't if I already took care of it. While Quinn was panicking I found this girl and convinced her that she needed to go off campus tomorrow."

"So," Quinn asked. "She will come back the next day and-"

"No she won't because her father is calling her out of school." She smirked. She got in trouble for sneaking off campus so often...turns out she skips class, very often and her dear old daddy is not pleased."

"And how did her dear old dad find out about this?" Quinn asked.

"The secretary is still interested in the superior sex and I took that into hand. I knew it would come in handy someday."

"You are incredible, Santana." She gasped.

"I know," she replied.

Brittany had started a French braid and as much as she missed her fingers combing through her hair, she complied to her whims and just smiled.

* * *

The next night Rachel was late once again. Quinn sat in her dorm, chewing the end of a pencil waiting for her to return. A million panicked thoughts raced through her skull. Had Satan's plan not worked?

When she finally did, she had that dreamy look back on her face and with just that she could tell that San's plan had failed.

She sighed and sent her an angry text message explaining in detail why this was not okay. All she came back with was:

_Well you should have scooped up the hobbit when you had the chance. How was I to know that she was actually a real catch? I assumed everyone saw her irritableness as equal to me. –SL_

_I thought that you thought she was hot. –QF_

_Yes, that was before she opened her mouth...in anything but a scream. –SL_

_What am I going to do? –QF_

_Well you could just tell her how you feel. That might be a good start. –SL_

Quinn knew that she shouldn't but she had already typed it out and sent it before she saw common sense.

_This coming from the girl who has been 'friends with benefits' with the girl she is totally in love with for what...three years now and has not done anything about it. –QF_

The response took a moment to come through.

_Brittany is perfect, Quinn. She is innocent and loving and she sees the world in a way that I never could. She sees the best in everyone and everything. I could never be good for her in that way...You however can be great for Rachel. Way better than this Jan girl. Trust me...-SL_

The message was such a surprise that she had to check the caller ID to make sure it was really her.

_Thank-you, San- QF_

She never got a response back.

* * *

It did not take long for things to change. On weekdays Quinn would normally meet Rachel for lunch off campus but now all her time was spent with Jan. Their study dates were broken at a moment's notice.

She would send her an 'I'm sorry' message but you could tell even through the messages that she would rather spend time with Jan than her. With every day that she canceled their plans, Quinn grew more and more irritated.

And the worst part was...Jan was great.

She was really the best girl.

She was just so sweet and kind to Rachel. Quinn to be honest could not see any reason to even dislike her and she hated it.

Quinn met her officially a week after she had started dating Rachel. She had spoken to her the odd time in Glee but she had never actually met her. She was walking to Glee actually when she bumped into her, literally.

"Oh God, sorry!" She said, as she tried to get up. She held out a hand for Quinn and helped her up. The second they locked glances, Quinn knew it was her. She had listened to Rachel describe those eyes to her often enough.

"I'm Jan," she said. "I don't believe we've met."

"I'm Quinn," she replied through gritted teeth.

Jan smiled and replied with, "Rachel has told me _all_ about you."

Jan was beautiful. She had long black hair that she styled in waves down her back. Her eyes a light blue-green that was easy to get yourself lost in. Her skin was a nice brown color that made her eyes pop out even more. Her figure was thin yet athletic and fit very nicely in her school uniform. Much to Quinn's dismay...

They stood there and talked about Rachel. Well she talked and Quinn added the occasional comment. She found that she couldn't get a word in edge wise...she was reminded of Rachel in the most painful way.

Down the hall, Rachel noticed them and crept up behind Jan slowly. She held a finger to her lips signaling for Quinn not to say anything. At the last second she wrapped her arms around her girl's waist and hugged into her back. Jan froze in shock for a second before letting out a shaky laugh.

Rachel snuck around and planted a kiss onto her waiting cheek.

"You snuck up behind me...not fair."

"Point three for Rachel," she said.

She looked to her girl with a look of absolute adoration. Jan looked at her with the same love and Quinn nearly gagged. They had not even been together for a month and they were already the cutest couple that she had ever seen. It simply was not fair.

She let out a staged cough and the staring contest was broken. The annoyed look sent her way, pierced her straight in the heart and she found it difficult to speak.

"Well, we really need to get into Glee. Mr. Shue is expecting us at four and-"

"She's right," Jan interrupted. "Meet me after class?"

Rachel bit down on her lip to hide her smile.

"I wouldn't miss it."

They left the hallway and herded into the classroom where Mr. Shue was quick to inform them just how much work that they had left to do. Sectionals was in a week, after all.

* * *

_3 missed calls_

_Fifteen new text messages_

* * *

That night Quinn had drank almost all of the bottle for herself and no one was blaming her for it. She needed it, they reasoned.

"I feel so awful for wanting to break them up when they seem so perfect together and-"

"Confess," Santana muttered. She was busy massaging circles into Quinn's back. She was so tense these days. Brittany was at work on her feet, she was oddly good at it too. Tina sat next to her and held her hand and smiled occasionally.

"But then I'd be putting so much pressure on her and she doesn't deserve that."

"She deserves to know that she has options."

Quinn took another swing in response.

"I have news and its good news so we can all stop being depressed." Tina piped up.

All attention was focused on her and she found herself blushing under the pressure.

"W-well I met someone...a guy."

"How the hell did you meet a guy around here?" San asked. "There are only vaginas for as far as the eye can see."

"Is he from town?" Brittany asked. Most of the people from town were twice their age for a lot younger than them. Due to the fact that most teenagers were either in the all girls school or in the all boys a few miles away.

She shook her head. "No, he is the new teacher's assistant...Mr. Chang."

Santana smirked and stopped her circles for a second. Quinn pouted.

"Oh, I saw him he is damn fine and that is coming from a capital L lesbian."

"I know," she said with a little giggle. "We talked after English today and I think he might be interested in me."

"Ooh an older man," Quinn said. "I am scandalized."

"He's not that much older...five years...maybe."

"Not a sexually confused Asian anymore?"

"Nope, still confused but starting to become...un-confused?" She said with a shrug.

"Is that even a word?"

"No clue but it describes the situation well."

"So it does."

* * *

Quinn was beginning to become un-confused about everything that was going on in her life. Jan and Rachel were still seeing each other. But Quinn was beginning to see how their relationship worked. Jan was very controlling.

She wanted to know everything that Rachel was doing, at the exact time that she was doing it. Rachel would have to text her updates every hour, just to satisfy this.

The real issue was the fact that Rachel was also very controlling. She needed to know exactly what Jan was doing, every second of every day. Jan despite how much she wanted control over Rachel did not want to give this to Rachel. She made Rachel worry constantly because she did not know where she was. She would break dates on occasion which caused Rachel to begin pacing in their dorm or possibly practice singing T.A.T.U at very loud tones.

It was impossible to get any sort of work done.

It made Quinn wonder what Jan was doing on the sidelines. What was she up to? She would watch them as they sat together on Rachel bed, doing homework. She would lean back and check her text messages at impromptu moments. She was hiding something, she was sure of it.

As much as she wanted to say that everyone had their secrets and she had every right to have hers. Quinn still hadn't told anyone of her real status after all. Jan deserved to have her own secrets. But Rachel was her friend and she could tell that this secret had something to do with her. She could not let her stay in her little ignorant bubble of happiness while Jan was off doing who knows what and who knows who.

There had to be a reason why she was off campus so often.

So she sent a text message.

_San, if you wanted to know something about someone with them knowing it...how would you do it? –QF_

_You would get all the dirt on them as possible and bride them into telling you their secrets. –SL_

* * *

_Four missed calls _

_Four new voice mails_

* * *

Sectionals, it was time for sectionals and Rachel let her know the second that she woke up that morning.

Rachel was grinning ear to ear that morning as she crossed October 30th off her calendar. Today was the day. The day that everything would be right and she would be able to show off her talent to the world. Well a small audience that included two other local schools.

"Quinn!" She called.

She ended up waking up a lot earlier than she normally did. Therefore Quinn had not woken up yet and she was upset. She needed someone to share her excitement with and her girlfriend was not answering her texts.

She must not be up yet, she reasoned.

"Quinn!" She shuffled around in her blankets but still did not wake up. Rachel pursed her lips when suddenly an idea came to her.

She sat down on top of the bulge until she heard Quinn whimper. She pulled back the blankets, finding a tangled clump of blonde hair.

"Are you awake?"

"No, I'm dead."

"Well that is too bad because today we are competing in our sectionals! We are going up against Dalton school for boys and they probably think that they can get one over on a bunch of girls but I am here to tell you that they are wrong!"

"Yes they're wrong now can you get off me?"

"Yes, they will be sorry that they ever underestimated us when we walk away with a nice shiny trophy and all they have is their own tears!"

"Yes and maybe I could have some room to breathe...any chance."

"Are you implying that I am fat?"

"No I am implying that you have a bony butt that is digging into my spine..."

"Fine," she said rolling her eyes. "You are honestly so horrible in the mornings..."

She shifted herself back onto the mattress.

"Are you ready for sectionals?"

"I will be if you let me sleep for a few more-"

"No way! You need to get up and get ready. We have to be the first ones on the bus. I want us to get a seat close together."

"What I can't sit next to you?"

Rachel chewed on her lip and gave her the most guilty expression possible. It was so adorable that Quinn couldn't even be angry.

"You already promised Jan that you would sit next to her...didn't you?"

She nodded.

"Sorry...I know I promised that we would sit together but Jan..."

"-Is your girlfriend and you want to spend some time with her?"

"I understand, have fun."

The words practically cut her soul in half but she said them just the same. She wanted her to be happy.

"Thank-you Quinn...just thanks..."

* * *

_Author's note-_

_I'm sorry. The internet is down at my house and I had no time to get to the library. So updates might be a little irregular now so I am sorry. I am however updating all of October today since I have no idea when I will be able to update next. _

_To answer a few questions:_

_The country that Quinn is from is fictional. However the location is very real and there are hints dropped about it in the later chapters. Virtual cookies to the first person who figures it out. _

_Also yes Quinn had to be such an idiot to her mother because she is a teenager who loves to cause drama and has been waiting for years for something to happen so that she could show her mother how she has been feeling. Don't worry, her family issues will get better. _

_One last thing this is not going to turn into a love triangle centric story. Don't worry, it gets better. _

_Love, from the author. _


	5. October-Part two

_Are you friend or foe?_

_cause I used to know_

_-friend or foe by T.A.T.U_

* * *

_October- Part two_

* * *

The bus was insane. That was the only word available to describe the situation. Mr. Shue had them practicing their songs every few minutes but most talked instead. To the point that he just gave up trying and fell into conversation with one of the teachers who had come with them, Miss Pillsbury.

In the back of the bus, Santana sat next to Quinn with Britt and Tina directly beside them. Turns out that the closest seat Quinn could get to Rachel was two rows behind. Rachel sat on the outside seat so from time to time Quinn could see her head peek out. Her hair was already curled and tied back into a ponytail. She watched it bob up and down with the motion of the bus and smiled. She was laughing. She didn't know what she was laughing at but she felt her joy anyways.

"Quinn, any chance you can break out of your love sick puppy trance and pay attention to me?"

Quinn quickly snapped out of it and turned to her.

Santana smiled.

"You really care about her, don't you?"

"I think I might love her," she said in a voice only above a whisper.

"It shows," she whispered back. "Tell anyone this and I cut you but you two would be so perfect together that it is sickening."

"Thanks San."

"No problem now do you want to know something that will make you smile even wider? I have a lead on what this Jan girl's issue is. She is not just creepily nice and overly cheerful."

"Really and your theory is?"

"Let me explain something first. Did you hear about that new article in the L.A Times?"

"No, I don't normally keep up with newspapers across the country."

The ponytail had turned into the seats, she was whispering with Jan.

"Well you should because somehow they have been alerted of this huge party in New York at Christmas. A party run by Rachel's Dads who basically own Broadway. There are going to be big names at this party and-"

"You think Jan leaked information about this party to them?"

She nodded. "I am certain of it."

"That is a pretty big accusation, San. You are going to need more proof than that. I believe you, she seems like the type to me but-"

"The Head won't see it."

"No, she won't. I have actually, now that you mention it I have seen them talk about her Dads. Jan is always starting the conversation."

Memories of listening in on conversations by accident [Not really] and hearing bits and pieces of gossip...she had never heard Rachel gossip and never about her Dads. Despite how they could never bring her back for the holidays or summers some years she still loved and cared about them a great deal. She would never spread rumors about them on purpose.

"Yep and Rachel is not seeing it as anything suspicious because-"

"She is blinded by her happiness?"

"Or this girl Jan knows how to use her tongue...but your reason is better and less disturbing."

Quinn peeked up at Rachel again. The ponytail was completely in the walkway sideways. Jan was kissing her, rather passionately in the middle of the bus.

Santana held a finger to her month and gagged.

Quinn laughed.

Brittany and Tina joined in on their conversation and they talked about everything except the fact that Rachel was getting a tongue bath two rows up. Quinn couldn't help but peek every now and then. Girls in the other rows were catcalling and whispering about it but they didn't stop.

Quinn couldn't help imagining herself in that situation. She couldn't help herself. She would top. She always topped. Rachel would be a squirming pile of hormones under her. She could imagine it so vividly.

Quinn kissing the girl in pink...her tongue running along her bottom lip begging entrance...exploring every inch of that mouth...their tongues dancing together...a dance that was never choreographed...it just felt right and one does not stop something that felt so right.

She licked her lips and put a stop to her fantasy before it led to a very uncomfortable situation in the back of the bus.

"We're up third," Mr. Shue announced to the green room. "We are performing right after Dalton. A school called McKinley is up first."

He shrugged. "Ladies, we have some stiff competition coming up. The Dalton Warblers got a nationals trophy last year. However I just know that we have a shot. We have all worked hard and tried hard. I am certain that we will pull through and get that trophy that we all deserve!

Gather round ladies."

They created a circle in the middle of the dressing room and all linked hands. Jan took Rachel's hand and smiled. Quinn grabbed Rachel's other hand, she seemed surprised but pleased anyways. Santana held her other hand while holding Britt's hand with the other. Tina grinned at them and held onto Brittany's hand like it was a lifeline.

"Ladies, we can do this. We have worked as hard as we possibly could and we have sang these songs to the point that we could never...literally ever...forget the lyrics." They laughed, remembering how the lyrics to a song in Russian was forever embedded into their minds. They had never guessed that, that would be the case at all.

"We have practiced our dance routines until our feet started to bleed. We have put in so much effort that it impossible that it won't pay off. In three shout: Brook Hill Bandits!"

"I still hate our Glee Club name," Santana whispered.

"One...Two...Three! Brook Hill Bandits!"

As an after note Mr. Shue repeated their infamous catch phrase. "They will never see us coming."

"They did never see them coming. But they never saw their competitors coming either."

McKinley was a rag tag group of misfits in desperate need of a better lead. Their current lead was awkward and honestly just couldn't dance. His singing voice was okay but it sounded like it would be better with another lead that could keep up with all his...whatever it is you wanted to call it. Still despite that their performance was not half bad. It wasn't fantastic but it wasn't horrible either.

They clapped for their performance but they were not at all worried about them as real competition.

Next up: Dalton academy.

They were fantastic. Quinn watched with fascination as two members of their group started the competition off with a duet. Quinn didn't recognize the song but she loved it. It was so obvious, due to the passion in their voices that those two were completely and utterly in love. The lyrics played between them and seemed to be perfect for them.

Quinn couldn't help herself. She glanced up at Rachel. She was sitting a row behind her, two seats over. She was currently hugging Jan's arm, her head leaning on her shoulder as they watched the performance. Jan looked down at her and kissed her forehead.

Quinn's heart sank. She should be the one being the sickeningly sweet girlfriend...not Jan. She pushed aside her old feelings against trying to break them up, the guilt. How could she feel guilty when all she wanted to do was swoop Rachel up into her arms and kiss her silly?

How she wished that she had gotten the courage to ask her out before Jan did. How could have assumed that she would wait...that she would wait for her. How could she have been so inconsiderate?

Rachel was incredible and beautiful and she deserved everything that she could possibly get out of life.

A hand landed on her arm and she finally looked away from them. Santana smiled to her and linked their hands together.

"Everything will be alright," she whispered.

Quinn finally nodded. She looked back to the stage and they were finishing up their solo. The last lines passed between them together.

_Looks like a solo tonight_

_But I think I will be alright_

Their performance was perfect. Well except for Quinn getting distracted and missing a few steps but other than that...it was brilliant. The girls gathered close together on stage and waited with impatience to hear the winner.

A hand grabbed Quinn's and she was pleasantly surprised to see that it was Rachel's. Santana cocked an eyebrow as if to say, I told you so. Quinn grinned and held on tighter. Even though Rachel's other hand was holding Jan's she was overly happy to have her chose her...even for a second.

The judge took the stage. He held out the envelope before opening it slowly, just to torture the young performers. He pulled out the page, read it himself before leaning into the mike.

"It has been a close performance. All three choirs have done very well but there can be only one winner. In third place, The New Directions!"

A few light hearted cheers came from the other end of the stage as they accepted their trophy.

'And the winner of this sectionals is...The Dalton Academy Warblers!"

The hand on hers loosened before falling away completely. The Warblers were cheering and laughing while they accepted their prize. The taller lead from earlier just about attacked his duet partner as he smashed their lips together.

"I knew it," Quinn muttered with a smile.

The Bandits accepted their trophy happily. It may not be a first place but at least they were not eliminated all together.

The three choirs piled off the stage and headed back to their green rooms. Jan whispered something to Rachel before going off in a different direction.

"Where's she going?" Quinn asked.

"Washroom," she replied. "Are you coming to the celebration later? We're thinking of using Santana's fake ID and getting some-"

"Sorry but I really need to go to the washroom. Be right back."

Rachel watched her retreating back, curious but not curious enough to follow. She simply headed back to the green room to celebrate with the others.

She ran down the hallway, following Jan at a safe distance. She entered the washroom, Quinn waited a few minutes and followed suit.

She was standing in front of the mirror. Quinn could only see her from behind where she was standing and she still didn't know that she was there.

"Coming to the party later?"

Jan's eyes widened and without thinking spun around, where upon her nose fell onto the ground. Her real nose was of a much lighter color and looked out of place in what Quinn now realized was a mask. A very good mask but a mask just the same.

She scrambled to pick it back up again.

Quinn had already fled.

"Quinn!"

She rushed through the door to follow her. It slammed behind her, she grabbed her arm.

"It is not what it looks like," she gasped out.

"Really because it looks like you are a grown woman masquerading as a teenager," she shouted. She ripped her arm out of her grasp.

"Look, Quinn I need to make a living somehow and-"

"And what exactly, taking advantage of Rachel simply because of her Fathers? Does that sound like a way to make a living?

You. Sicken. Me. I will tell Rachel and I will tell the Head...and when they hear about this your career or whatever you wish to call will be over."

She turned to leave. Her footsteps were the only noise in the deserted hall. Jan let out a deep breath and called out.

"Where do you think you are going, your highness?"

She stopped, frozen. Her hand twitched at her pocket and she bit at her lip.

"How do you know about that?" She gasped out.

"I know plenty...I thought it would be wise to research everyone that I would come into contact with, anyone who might get in my way," she smirked. "Now let me go over what I know. I know that your father is on his death bed...could go any day now and I know that you are here. I also know that you are not answering your mother's phone calls...your mother who clearly trying to call you home."

She turned and stared at her right in the eye.

"How do you know that?"

"I know because I peeked at your call status before we went on. You really should keep a better eye on your phone. You are a princess, of a small almost unknown country yes, but a princess just the same...someone could be messaging top secrets and-"

"There is a pass-code."

"Easy to crack...I have been this business for years."

"What business...if you don't mind me asking?" She slipped her hands inside of her pockets and gave her a 'you got nothing to lose' look_. Jan_ ate it right up without a question.

"The business of knowing things that people don't know," she laughed. "And I am very good at it. I can tell you secrets that will blow that pretty little mind of yours, sky high. At any moment I could start a war just by leaking some of it."

"Why here then, if you can do all that...then why would you even bother with a party?"

"It is not just any party...Quinn dearest. It is the party where I can cause enough mischief to keep me in money for years to come."

"Why do you-"

"Do this? All of it...why do I even bother? Because I am bored...I get so bored that I need to stir the pot some. I know that you feel that sometimes...don't you...Lucy."

"My name is not Lucy," she sniped. "I am not Lucy anymore and I never will be Lucy ever again."

"Tut tut...you keep telling yourself that. Simply changing your name does not change who you are. I know this for sure...I have had a hundred names and none of them have changed me. I am still an overly ambitious bitch who will do whatever she needs to do to get what she wants. Even, if it involves breaking a little girl's heart in the mix."

"If you even dare to hurt her-"

"If I told her the truth about you it would hurt her even more. She would hate you...you know that already and I know that you couldn't live with yourself if you hurt her. So you might want to re-think what you plan to do with this new information."

"Just one more question. Just one more and I will leave you be."

She cocked an eyebrow. "Proceed. This is just starting to get interesting."

"Why are you telling me this? You could have just played it off as nothing...You could have killed me here, even. Why would you tell me?"

"Because you won't say a word," she replied. "I know that you won't because you are terrified of facing your fears. You run away. That is what you do, Lucy Quinn Fabray and it is what you will do for the rest of your miserable little life. You play tough but in reality-" she shook her head- "you are weak and you will let me get away with this. "

She paused.

"Now if you excuse me. I have a party to get to and a beautiful girl to kiss silly."

She walked away, her heels making click, click sounds on the tiled floor. Quinn watched her go and didn't move until she was around the corner. She would see this as an act of fear. She would see that she was afraid of her. She would not even think that that was a fucking lie.

Quinn reached inside her pocket and held it to her ear.

"So what do you think, San? How can we bust her for this?"

"I have recorded the phone call...we have all the proof we need and Quinn?"

"Hmm," she mumbled.

"Why didn't you tell us about your father and the fact that you may rule a fucking kingdom-"

"It is a country San and it is a very small country. We never get involved with politics outside the border lines. And I never felt like I needed to tell people...everyone has family issues."

"Yeah...I guess. Get your ass to this party and pretend like nothing has happened. I have a plan."

"We could just ask her not to do it," Brittany said. "I mean...she is really mean but she must have been nice at some point. Wouldn't Santa have put her on the naughty list if she wasn't?"

"She's been on the naughty list for a long time now, Britt."

"Oh, then we should definitely get her in trouble."

Santana smiled and began to draw circles on the back of her hand.

"Yes we do need to get her in trouble and before she hurts Rachel."

Quinn was pacing back and forth again. It was annoying the hell out of Tina to the point where she actually interrupted.

"Would you stop pacing? It is not helping and if anything it is making me more stressed."

Quinn continued to pace, oblivious to their conversation. There was just so much going through her head...she really just couldn't handle it.

"Why are you stressed? Is the Nargles?"

"No, Britt...it's everything...my grades are slipping because I'm too worried about all this to keep them up...and Mike won't be with me because of our age difference as if that makes any sense at all..."

Why, did she have to go after Rachel? Was there not any other innocent and honestly ignorant of the real world type girls in this school? There had to be. Most of these girls have been in boarding schools ever since they were old enough to be in school. If there was anyone oblivious to the outside world it would be kids in boarding schools.

"Wait, Mike? Since when are you two on a first name basis?" Santana asked. "I mean calling him Mr. Chang is way hotter anyways. I mean if you are into student/teacher relationships and let's face it you are."

"He's not a teacher, he's a-"

"Student teacher," Britt and San droned together.

How could she stop this?

Quinn laced her hands through her hair and found that she was almost ready to scream. She needed answers. She needed someone to talk to. She needed someone who understood that she needed to help Rachel and to protect her...even if it killed her.

"Like it makes any difference," San added. "I mean he is older than you but not that much older. Why is he making it such a big deal?"

"No idea...I don't see it as that much of a deal but he keeps bringing it back up whenever we're together-"

"Would you guys stop?! I have some serious issues here and you are arguing over Tina's teacher boyfriend?"

"He is a student teacher and he's not my boyfriend. It's complicated."

Santana snorted. "Join the club...Wait you already did."

"Please I need you guys to understand that I need to stop her. I can't have to hurt Rachel. I need to turn her into the authorities or something."

"We have proof. We could do it right now."

"Yes but something tells me that she would end up doing...whatever she plans to do anyway. If we turn her into the Head then she would just leave. She has a million different identities. She probably has allies...I doubt this is a one woman show. She has to have back-ups."

"You have been watching way too many spy movies," San muttered.

"But this is a spy movie! Well it is like a spy movie and we are the amateur detectives that need to bring it all down."

"Like Sherlock Holmes and his boyfriend?"

"Yes Britt, exactly like that. The question is...How we are going to do it without hurting Rachel in the process."

They were silent.

"We could just let her in on it," Britt said. "That would be hot."

"That could work, minus that last bit. But would she even believe us?"

No one had an answer for that.

Tina coughed. "Ladies, it is Halloween."

"We didn't dress up this year," Britt pouted. "We always dress up."

"I promise we will next year. I can be the hot doctor and you can be the sexy nurse, alright?"

"Deal," she smirked.

"Stop stressing for one minute Quinn and have a sip." Tina passed her the bottle. Quinn took a long swing and passed it back around the circle. They continued until it was empty.

Quinn still stressed. She still worried that things might not turn out the way she wanted them too. She worried that this 'Jan' or whoever she was would actually hurt Rachel. She would never be able to live with herself if she let that happen.

But just for that night, she told a ghost story to her friends. She laughed a little and just had fun...And not even the type of fun that you are thinking of...Heads out of the gutter now.

Across campus in a single dorm, a girl sat at her desk. She was busy typing like mad. She never took a break, she couldn't afford too.

The moonlight shone into the dorm, practically lighting it up completely without even having to turn on a light. The light revealed the millions of newspaper clippings and photographs tacked to her walls. They were in all different languages and the time published ranged from a few days before to ten years before. Some even farther back than that.

One particular article was nailed above her desk. It had been printed a long time before, at least a few years. It was several pages and they were all tacked alongside each other. The headline read: Her royal highness's gay playmates.

A large picture of a young blonde girl was on the first page. She grinned at the camera while two girls kissed her cheeks on either side of her. Her hands rested on their asses. Her right eye closed in a wink.

She seemed to favor this article over all others since it was ripped down quite often before it was nailed back up again.

There were a lot of articles and pictures on this princess scattered about her room. Pictures as well from all different times in her life. A photo of her sitting on her father's knee, her hair tied back in two ribbons. A picture of her leaving the palace in her early teens...she did not appear to have known that the picture was being taken. A photo of her walking to class with Rachel by her side...that was before she had started dating her. That was when she knew that she needed to get Rachel to get to her.

It had all been so simple after that.

Another girl who was frequent but not nearly as frequent as Quinn. Was a certain Brunette who she was currently dating...she only had recent photos of her. She had not taken much of an interest in her life until she had arrived here.

She had never been of importance.

_She's falling, soon will hit the ground. Get the house ready, we will have guests very soon._

The message went through and she looked up at the article to wait. She most likely was not going to get a response today however she knew that she could never sleep.

"Soon," she whispered. "Soon...you will know."


	6. November- Part one

_Keep yourself away_  
_Far away from me_  
_I'll Forever stay_  
_Your perfect enemy._

_-Perfect enemy by T.A.T.U_

* * *

**November- part one**

Quinn peeked across the dorm room. Rachel was alone and was simply doing her homework. She assumed that Quinn was doing the same. She couldn't have been more wrong. Her roommate was thinking and what she was thinking of had nothing to do with algebra. She needed to tell her. She had to. Santana's plan would only work if she did.

It had been her only thought for days now. She had tried so many times to bring it up but it had never sounded right or she simply assumed that it didn't sound right.

_How would she even start? _

_Quinn: Hey your girlfriend is really a twenty something reporter/ spy/ shit disturber and she is only dating you because your fathers are hosting a huge party for Christmas; and she is planning this stunt that I have no idea what it is...but I know that it will happen and I know it will have huge and very disastrous results on you, your Dads, and mankind itself. _

_Rachel: Ummm..._

There had to be a better way to bring up the topic than that.

"Stupid," she muttered. She very angrily crossed out an incorrect math equation. Rachel looked up and asked,

"Did you say something Quinn?"

Rachel was looking at her with those eyes. She was staring at her with those huge brown puppy dog eyes and she was expecting her to say something...anything. She could not find words. What were words? Did she even have a voice...it took a few seconds for her to even answer those questions.

She gulped.

"Um...Rachel I don't know how to say this but your girlfriend is-"

"Wonderful, amazing and every other variant of the English language," she sighed in a true Rachel Berry fashion.

"Not exactly...that's not what I was trying to say. Your girlfriend is-"

The door swung open and Rachel lit up. The devil herself just entered into the dorm and she was smiling. Quinn sighed. She couldn't have chosen a worse time to show up.

"Hey babe," she smirked.

There were a few things she noticed when she walked in. One her skirt was rolled at the top making it appear a few inches shorter. Two her eyes were a different shade. She either was not wearing contacts before or had just recently started wearing them, either way it was a change and she hoped that Rachel would notice. That would not prove much but maybe it would be a step in the right direction.

"Jannie-bear," Rachel replied. "Come here."

Jan sat down on her bed and Rachel rearranged her things so that she could sit. Jan choose however to lean back into her lap completely. Rachel saw nothing out of the ordinary and began to run her fingers through her hair.

Jan turned towards her and closed an eye in a wink. Quinn did not know what to think of it and looked back down at her homework instead.

"You were saying something before."

"It's nothing."

"It must be something, L-Quinn. I may have heard a bit of your conversation before and-"

"Jan! You were eavesdropping?"

"What can I say? I don't play by the _rules_ and plus the door was open a bit when I came by...so everyone in the hallway probably heard."

Rachel laughed. "What am I going to do with you?"

"I could think of many things actually."

"Head in the gutter," Rachel quipped.

Quinn started to pack up her things. But was certain to leave her phone inside her bag with the record button on, she could always use more proof.

"I'm going for a run around the block. Need some air."

"Alright," Rachel said. "Just remember to bring a coat...it's getting cold."

She didn't seem too focused on her. Her hands had stopped running through Jan's hair and just gripped it. She licked her lips and smirked up at her.

"Will do," Quinn said grabbing a hoodie.

She pulled it on as she walked away. She was only just down the hall when she heard a moan and she quickened her pace. A run was really just what she needed to clear her head. She opted for running around campus, rather than through town. There would be less people getting in her way. She needed to think.

She began at a slow and easy jog. Quinn was in pretty good shape but it had been a while since she had done anything long distance. So she challenged herself and pushed forward with a new speed.

She let all the stress she felt go into that run.

With every pant and every gasp she felt the stress leave her body. Her mind melted and all her thoughts banished.

She only felt the electric pain shot through her legs and up into her stomach.

She liked it.

It felt good to push herself to her limits.

It felt good to be in control of her pain, for once.

She was not being dragged down by anyone. She was not having obligations pull her down. She was not being forced to be Lucy.

She was Quinn and she was running. It was really as simple as that.

Her pace had moved from a slow jog to a slighter faster jog...to a full pledged sprint. The pain doubled and her breath shortened.

But she did not stop.

The path vanished beneath her as did her surroundings. She had time. She had all the time in the world.

She thought about everything.

All those missed calls, all those missed opportunities. She wondered what would happen if she had just taken one of them. What if she had picked up the phone? Would she still be angry? Would she want to see her father...would she want to even speak with her mother?

Another burst forward and the thought vanished and were replaced with another.

What if she had kissed Rachel that first day out in the town?

What if while they watched that play, she had taken her hand? Such a simple gesture that was...what if she was not such a coward? What if she had done it all differently?

She shoved another leg forward, faster harder than before. She gasped, craving water before realizing that she had forgotten to grab any.

Her throat was parched.

How long had she been running exactly?

She began to slow. Her short flight had ended and she had landed at her destination. She slowed to a stop and collapsed.

She did not even realize that she was down until she felt the edges of grass tickling her cheek. She stretched out on the grass, not caring who saw her. She closed her eyes for a moment and slowed her breath down to normal.

One breath in and another out...repeat...

Once she recovered she sat up momentarily dizzy. The world swam around her, she rubbed at her eyes. She really needed to stop overexerting herself. She blinked and the science building formed before her eyes. She was right where she had first ever met Santana. Right where most of the insanity had started, she could still see the indents in the grass of where they had laid together or perhaps that had been only her imagination.

Her eyes traveled up, her neck creaking with the effort. The window was open.

Ever so slightly, it had creaked open. This was why the school was always so cold, she thought. People keep leaving the windows open.

In her tiredness she hardly noticed that the window was not open enough to cause a draft.

Quinn proceeded to stare at the window and then it started to bug her. She slowly stood, a bit unsteady on her feet and moved towards the window. She gripped the sill and briefly looked inside. It was the room that she usually met the girls.

The table that she normally sat on was only a few feet away, she smiled a bit. Maybe one of them had opened it for air and forgotten. She missed her girls. Maybe she could call an impromptu meeting that night. She needed to let off some steam.

She slid the window shut, a crunch sounded. She glanced down and the realisation came in a moment of absolute panic.

Wedged inside the window was a tape recorder. A thin one, thin enough to go completely unnoticed even if one was sitting near the window...it was not even open enough to make a draft.

Quinn tried to think back. Had that window always been slightly open? How long had this been here? But she couldn't remember. She had never even paid attention to the windows she had no reason to. It was just a minor detail...it was perfect. They never would have noticed it. It was honestly genius but Quinn would never admit that.

She picked up the recorder and pressed stop, then erase.

She recorded some dead air over the old tape. She hoped that Jan had not been here for awhile to check it.

It is not going to be that easy.

Jan was not going to give up without a fight.

She walked back to her dorm, slowly. This was all going to be a hell of a lot more difficult than she had originally thought.

* * *

A few text messages later and they met in a new classroom a few hours later. Santana had deemed her toe nails unacceptable and was now painting them electric blue. She had to mix it up, every now and then.

Brittany sat with Tina on another lab table. She had decided that Tina's hair had not gotten enough loving and was currently creating five French braids at various lengths. To say that Santana was jealous would be an understatement.

Quinn perched next to her and recounted the entire tale.

"A voice recorder was actually really clever...to give her some credit."

"I know," Quinn sighed. "And that is why I tried to record her conversation with Rachel earlier. I was hoping that I would get something about the party but all I got was foreplay talk and then...noises."

"That's hot," Britt announced. "I was only saying what everyone was thinking." She added innocently and with a shrug she started another braid.

Santana shrugged. "She isn't wrong...it has to be hotter than a sex tape because you are wondering what is going on and have to guess-"

"Can we please not discuss the girl I love and the woman I hate having sex, please? This whole situation is disturbing enough."

"True enough," Tina piped up.

Brittany finished her braids and began braiding the braids together. Tina was going to have massive curls by the end of this.

"Do you have a ponytail?"

"No."

"Hmm, can I just tie the end of it?"

"No, no you can't." Tina said, a bit panicked.

"But it won't-"

"I'll live with it." She said. "Now Quinn, what is the plan?"

Brittany pouted and simply held onto the end of the braid. She did not need to ruin her master piece.

"We need to stop her...somehow...before the party, before she can cause any real damage. But how can we stop her when we don't even know what her plan is?"

"We are going to need to find out shit about her and hold it against her. It is what she does but do we really have much of a choice?"

"True...and I still need to tell Rachel."

"Yes," the girls shouted together.

"There are many things, Barbie that you need to tell her but at the moment this would be the most important...though confessing would not be-"

"Rachel needs to know what is going on and besides we need all the help we can get. And San, I'm not confessing."

* * *

It took a few days. Quinn kept finding opportunities to tell her but always backed out at the last second. She just had no idea how to even bring it up...or how to prove to her that she was even telling the truth.

Turns out the perfect moment came when she hadn't even planned it.

They were walking back from class one day, together for once. Jan was off doing something so Rachel met up with Quinn. She could not help but consider this a victory, hollow yes but still a victory.

It was starting to get cold; the first snow fall would be coming any day now. Quinn and Rachel were both wrapped up against the chill. Their coats buttoned up all the way and hats pulled down past their ears.

They had been walking in silence when Quinn blurted out:

"Rachel there is something I need to tell you."

She stopped and for a moment was completely still before she said: "Oh."

"Yeah, it's something that I have been wanting to say for awhile but haven't really figured out how to say it."

"Yes," she asked her eyes hopeful. She bit at her lip while she waited for Quinn to respond. Was she going to say what she thought she was going to say?

"Rachel I don't know how to say this but...Your girlfriend is an undercover spy set on ruining your dad's careers." She said this all very quickly.

Rachel laughed. "Quinn...that's impossible. What are we in...Spy kids?"

"No this is nothing like Spy Kids because the spy in question is in her twenties and she is pretending to be a teenager. We have proof and she threatened me after sectionals. We have proof of that!"

She cocked an eyebrow. "Really, now? Are you...dare I say it jealous?"

"Very, _very_ jealous but that is not the point here! Your girlfriend is a spy and she is out to destroy you and who knows who else."

She sighed. "I have been ignoring you...I'll tell you what. I'll spend more time with you now. You could have just said that you missed me and I would've-"

"I don't miss you! Sorry," she added after seeing her hurt expression. "I do miss spending time with you back when I was one of your few friends but that is not what I am trying to say. Jan is not the Jan you think she is. That isn't even her real name...I'm sure she has hundreds. You need to believe me so that we can stop her."

"Stop, Quinn. This isn't funny or sweet anymore. Jan is my girlfriend and she loves me very much. She is not some undercover spy sent on destroying me. It sounds very much like a soap opera...is that where you got the idea from? A soap opera that has been recycling the same plot points for fifty years?"

"Would you at least listen to the proof? Then you can deny it or whatever but at least give me a shot. Okay?"

Rachel let out a long breath and replied, "Sure...what do I have to lose?"

"A lot...believe me," Quinn muttered. She searched through her phone until she found the recorded phone call. Santana had sent it to her, via email.

"Listen to this," she handed it to her. Rachel rolled her eyes and held the speaker to her ear.

Quinn watched as her expression went from shocked to absolutely blown away. Her eyes widened and her jaw literally dropped before she had even reached the end of the recording.

She wordlessly handed it back to her, her hands shaking a bit.

"Y-you were right...oh, god you were r-right."

"I know it is a bit shocking but-"

"You are a princess?"

"What?"

"You. Are. A. Fucking. Princess. As in long dresses and the define rule over a nation."

"Well, yes I am that but it is not nearly as fun as Disney movies make it look...Believe me. So your reaction to Jan and-"

"A fucking princess," she muttered.

"Wait...are you more surprised by the princess deal then by the fact that your girlfriend is using you?"

Rachel blinked back a few tears and met her gaze.

"It is easier to dwell on the new information...that hurts less."

Without thinking twice Quinn pulled her into her arms and gently kissed the top of her head.

"Rachel, I'm sorry. I had to tell you...I couldn't let her hurt you anymore. I wouldn't be able to live with myself...if you got hurt."

The stare that she gave her was so intense that even Quinn was shocked.

"Y-you didn't want to hurt me?" It seemed like she was asking so much more with that glance than she was letting on. Quinn chose her words carefully.

"Why would I ever?"

The words...simple as they are...spoke volumes and it was all Rachel needed to hear.

She smiled. "Thank-you for telling me...all of it..."

"You have questions," Quinn stated.

"About a hundred," she admitted.

"Then we'd better get started."

"Tell me about your dad. I want to take this in, little by little. We can leave my so called girlfriend to last."

"Okay, but let's just get out this cold."

They walked back towards the nearest building, a library. Rachel led Quinn towards the back. She glanced up, they were all reference on what appeared to be-

"Plants," Rachel explained. "No one ever comes back here so we should be free to talk."

They sat down below a shelf and Rachel glanced over at her. Her curiosity was killing her and Quinn could not help but smile.

"My dad is a bit of a touchy subject. So sorry ahead of time...well I used to be daddy's little girl. He used to play with me all the time even when the cameras were not around. He was my best friend."

"What happened?"

"He got sick and I got angry. I started rebelling, really against my parents, against everybody. I would go out every night and that is actually how I started calling myself Quinn. I needed a name that not everyone in the country knew and I thought my middle name would not be too much of a lie. He continued to get sick and I just stopped visiting. He was not him anymore and I just could not stand to be around him. I missed my father but that old man that could do nothing more than lay in a bed was not him. I acted like he was dead. And now I do not feel guilty about it...why should I? My father is dead and I have accepted it early. My mother has been trying to contact me and I just have not been listening to her."

There was a pause.

"Wow...you are really messed up."

"What?"

"Not every princess has that whole drama queen thing down pat...you have it even worse than I do." She laughed. "And that is saying something."

"Then what do you suggest I do then?"

"Answer a call, maybe not today and maybe not tomorrow but soon okay?"

She nodded.

"Okay I have more questions-"

"By the hundreds?"

She nodded.

"Well it better not take too long because I have a few people that I need to bring you to see."

* * *

"The hobbit is joining us?" Brittany asked when Quinn and Rachel arrived together. "I thought San didn't like her?"

"She doesn't," Tina replied before she could.

"I'm just enduring her presence for Quinn's sake."

Rachel smirked. "Thank-you so much for your tolerance, Santana...I just have to let you know that the feeling is absolutely mutual."

She sat down on a desk and Santana smirked.

"I might learn to like you," she admitted. "So, Tina how are things with professor sexy legs?"

Tina blushed but replied confidently. "You might want to rephrase that, San. He is student professor hot abs and ass."

"Looks like someone's gotten pretty close to be able to tell all that," Quinn said with a wink.

"Wait, you are dating a teacher?" Rachel asked, completely scandalized. "And since when do any of our teachers have abs?"

She raked her mind but could not find a male teacher who had anything less than a beer gut.

"I'm dating a _student_ teacher," she explained. "He used to be completely hung up on our age difference but now-"

"He's hung up on Tina's sexy legs." Santana said without missing a beat.

"Exactly," she replied.

Quinn looked over at Rachel. "Yeah, we are a strange group but you get used to it."

"Will take awhile though, man hands," San added.

"I'll take your word for it." She seemed a bit overwhelmed so Quinn reached out and took her hand. Rachel looked into her eyes, pleased but surprised. She squeezed her hand in reassurance that she was not going to leave her in this group of complete and utter weirdoes.

"Get a room."

Brittany looked confused. "But don't we normally all use the same room?"

"I have a girlfriend," Rachel said.

"Yes, a shit disturber. That is a great relationship."

"Well we still don't know what her evil plan is...and I think I might break up with her anyways."

"Oh thank God," Quinn blurted out.

Santana smirked. "Oh and why the offended reaction, blonde?"

"Just don't think they are a very good match...you know considering the fact that she is trying to take over the world and all."

"Not the entire world-"

"The entire world that counts," Rachel said. "What? I live and breathe Broadway."

"Oh yes this coming from the girl whose gay lord fathers will give her any role she wants."

"Gay jokes really?" Tina asked. "Coming from you?"

"What? I am gay therefore I can make as many gay jokes as I want. I am permission from the big gay gods."

"My dads will not give me any role I want. I have to audition. Just like any other talented up and coming performer out there."

"Keep telling yourself that, hobbit and maybe you'll actually believe it one of these days."

"San that was a bit out of line!"

"What? It was your idea to invite her and I said I would tolerate her presence and I am sorry that I am living up your expectations, your highness."

"It's fine Quinn. I don't need her on my side anyway. I came here to discuss how we are going to get back at my douche of a girlfriend...not to attempt to out-insult Santana."

"You would never succeed...even if you did try."

Rachel cocked an eyebrow. "Oh, really now."

"Rachel don't even-"

"Shut up Quinn. I am talking to Santana. You."

"Me."

"You, as in the girl who claims she is some high and mighty bitch and yet doesn't even have the guts to tell B-"

"Don't you even dare man hands!"

"You have used that already." She took a deep breath and gave her tight, forced smile. "Now can we be civil and decide how to get back at Jan? Or I will go there."

"Fine, only because I don't want to get blood on my new shoes. They are expensive and stretch the uniform's boundaries to nearly breaking and take a hell of a lot of scrubbing to get blood off of them."

"And you would know this-"

"Of course," she replied. "Black Friday sales can be viscous you know."

"Okay," Tina said. "I don't really want to pry into that little tidbit. So let's just figure out what we are going to do."

"Well we can't turn her into the Head...she'll just escape then and will end up attacking anyway."

"Actually, I don't think she would if she ran. No, listen she needs me. She needs me to invite her to this party and if I don't then she has no way of getting on. There is not enough time to locate someone else to manipulate."

"So you stay with her and-"

"And we get her at the party itself."

"We can't let her into what she's trying to attack...that's basically suicide."

"Not necessarily," Rachel said. "We let her into the party. The party of the year where the security is so high that the cleverest criminal wouldn't be able to get in without an escort...we just need to lead her into a trap and then-"

"She has no choice but to turn herself in," Quinn said a bit amazed.

Rachel smirked, very pleased with herself.

"Well all of that seems fantastic but what about all of us?"

"Yeah, we want to help." Tina said.

Brittany nodded beside her. "We need to put her in jail, just like in Monopoly."

Rachel bit at her lip. "Well I guess I could see about getting some extra passes. I'm sure my Dads would let me."

"So we get to go to the most secret and amazing party of the year?"

She nodded.

"Excellent, this should be good."

* * *

It was late when Quinn and Rachel finally walked back to their dorm. It had taken awhile to get away since Brittany seemed persistent on having a five way orgy but Rachel felt uncomfortable by the idea. So Santana sent them back to their room, claiming: "You are missing out." And also: "Give us plenty of details about your late night dorm sex!" as they left the classroom.

Rachel had asked one innocent question.

"Do you normally have four way orgies in abandoned classrooms?"

Quinn's mouth went dry as she answered. "Yes."

Rachel nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer but refused to meet her eye after that. Quinn could tell how turned on she was by that simple word but kept this knowledge to herself. She did not need to make the situation more awkward for the two of them.

They arrived at the dorm and Quinn opened the door, letting Rachel in first before following herself. The room was dark. All the lights were out the curtain on the window were pulled shut. Quinn was about to switch on a light when a hand grabbed hers, preventing her from doing so.

"I was going to turn on the light-"

"Did you mean what you said, earlier?"

That was the exact moment when she realized how close Rachel was standing. She could feel her breathing over her face. She could feel her breasts pressing against her own, ever so lightly. She wanted, so badly to pull her even closer. To show how just how good that closeness could feel.

"Yes, I did. I never wanted to hurt you."

There was silence. All Quinn had to reassure her of her presence was the steady beating of Rachel's heart and her breathing. The hand around hers squeezed and she swore she saw her smirk in the darkness.

Rachel leaned in, just close enough that if Quinn had the guts...she could kiss her. It would be so simple, just an inch forward, a centimeter, a millimeter...

"That's all I needed to know."

The hand disappeared and the body pressed against hers was gone. Quinn stupidly reached out for her in the darkness, already missing her warmth.

"Good night, Quinn." Rachel called from somewhere far back in the room. Somewhere in the room that was most defiantly not her arms, where she should be.

"Good night Rachel," she replied.

She heard a few blankets shifting and then it was all quiet again.

Quinn was more sexually frustrated than she had ever been. She considered slipping out and joining back in that orgy that was definitely going on downstairs. She let out a slow breath and made her way over to her bed.

It was so tempting to simply cross the room. She could show this girl everything she was missing out on. Everything Jan was not giving her.

She had laid down and tucked herself in when it occurred to her that Rachel may have been doing that on purpose.

_The little tease,_ she thought. _The little fucking tease. _

She tried to ignore her thoughts but they clouded her mind just the same, just as she wanted them to, no doubt...

She was practically swimming in her sexual frustration and the fact that the girl who caused it was right across the room, maybe four feet away added it to immensely.

She sighed and shoved her head under her pillow, trying to block out her thoughts and maybe get some sleep.

She clouded her dreams.

_Quinn was entering the washrooms; it was either really early or really late because the place was completely deserted. She was dressed in only a towel when she heard a shower starting up. It was the last stall and she found herself drawn to it. _

_She was outside the stall and dropped her towel. _

_The curtain was pulled back. Rachel looked out, the curtain revealing enough to tease her. _

_"What are you waiting for?" She asked, tossing her a saucy wink. _

_Quinn didn't need any farther invitation. _

_The stall was small, large enough to fit one person comfortably. Two people inside were forced to stand directly against each other with very little elbow space. But it didn't matter. _

_Their lips were crashing together. Their hands exploring...Rachel didn't see any need to follow relationship steps and just went for it all at once. _

_Rachel began to knead her breasts, squeezing and pinching in all the right places. Quinn moaned without shame and forwarded her kiss, sending them crashing into the wall. The water was hot or maybe it was just their bodies. _

_Rachel began kissing down her neck and onto her collarbone. She attentively kissed her breast, testing her reaction. Seeming pleased she licked over a nipple. _

_Quinn groaned and started knotting her fingers into her hair. Rachel ignored her reaction and licked and bit at the other nipple. _

_Rachel was completely in control. _

_And Quinn loved it. _

_Rachel started kissing down her stomach and was headed to a less than appropriate location. Quinn was already so turned on and all but screamed for her to move faster when-_

_"What are you waiting for?"_

_It was one question. _

_And suddenly they weren't in the shower anymore. Quinn was wearing a long very princess like dress and was standing somewhere completely white. She looked around frantically, getting the idea that she shouldn't be here. That there was something wrong. She thought she was alone until Jan came waltzing out of a doorway. She clapped slowly and smiled widely. _

_Something was wrong. _

_Someone was very wrong. _

_"Where is Rachel?" She screamed. _

_Jan just smiled and walked to a few feet away from her. She said one question. One question that asked it all. _

_"What are you waiting for?"_

_What are you waiting for? _

_WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? _

_The scene changed. She was back home, beside her father's bed. Her mother was holding his hand and she could hear her chocked sobs even she though she couldn't see her face. _

_Her father lay unmoving before them. His heart meter stopped beating and his IV was gone. He was gone. He was gone, physically and emotionally and in every other way he could possibly be gone. She had never picked up the phone. She had never said goodbye. _

_"What were you waiting for, Quinn."_

_Her mother asked the question, her eyes finally turned to her. They were dead and defeated, like she had died with him. _

_"What were you waiting for?"_

She woke with a scream. She didn't even realize when Rachel came to her aid, she just screamed.

"Quinn, it's alright. It's just a dream," Rachel cooed.

"Just hold me," she whispered.

Rachel did as she was told and wrapped her arms around her. They leaned back and Rachel tucked the covers around the both of them. She held her close and brushed her fingers through her hair until she had calmed down.

They lay there in silence for a few moments.

"Rachel?"

"Yes," she asked.

"You have more questions...I can tell."

"You've answered enough for me."

"Then...do you think that I'm...heartless for how I feel about my family? How I think I don't care?"

"Never," she said. "I don't see you as a cold heartless bitch, Quinn. You can act like one occasionally but I know that it's not you."

"What am I then?"

"You are Quinn."

"Simple as that," she asked an eyebrow rose.

"Simple as that," she replied.

"So have me completely figured out?"

"Not yet, but I will...I'm sure I have plenty of time to learn all your little secrets."

Quinn laughed. "And do I get the very pleasure of learning a secret of Miss Rachel Berry's?"

"That depends on whether or not you will return one."

"Deal," she said.

"I hate...spiders."

"That is the big secret? You have compulsive hate for a bug."

"Spiders are not bugs," she corrected. "They are arachnids and they are terrifying."

"Give me one reason."

"Fine, because when you try to catch them they start running around...and normally towards you and-"

"Their attempts of not getting killed are...horrifying?"

"That makes me sound like a murderer," she muttered.

"In a way, yes...everyone is really...well except for vegans."

"I am a vegan."

"Oh, then everyone except for vegans who do not feel the need to murder insects."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine, enough about me...I want to know one of your secrets."

Quinn thought long and hard about it before responding.

"I could never eat carrots. I just hate the taste of them and could never-"

"I love carrots."

"I see we disagree in two different fronts...hmm how can we ever stay friends when we can't even agree of the value of an insect's life and whether or not carrots deserve to be eliminated?"

"Now that sounds murderous."

"Hey I never said I wasn't a murderer." She said.

"I am laying in bed next to a murderess."

"Who is cuddling a fellow murderess," she added.

"I suppose so," she laughed.

Rachel shifted a bit closer to her, their lips an inch apart once again.

"One question," Quinn said. "Were you being such a tease earlier, on purpose?"

Rachel laughed and leaned in close to her ear and whispered: "Yes."

She was vaguely reminded of her earlier dream of the two of them in the shower and that question flooded across her mind: _What are you waiting for? _

Indeed, what was she waiting for exactly?

She was holding a girl that she was certain that she loved in her arms, in the middle of the night in darkened dorm room. Why wasn't she kissing her?

It was at that moment when she realized that she was always waiting for the perfect moment. She couldn't call her mother; it was not the right time. It could wait. She couldn't smash Jan's head in; not the right time and also not the right manicure. She couldn't kiss Rachel because she was waiting. For what, she wondered. The perfect moments never come. The perfect moments come when you seize them for yourself and darling she was ready to seize it.

Carpe diem; seize the day.

So she considered the day seized when she kissed her. It was light, nervous at first before it grew hot. Their lips mashed desperately, the tension was building and being smashed all at once.

Quinn licked at the edge of her lips, begging entrance and Rachel compelled. Their tongues explored, nervous but well versed. Quinn moaned and pulled her even closer, their breasts mashing together.

Rachel wasn't wearing a bra and her nipples were rock hard.

Her eyes darkened.

It was Rachel who broke it off.

"What are we doing," she whispered a bit dazed.

"Carpe diem," she replied.

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't have the faintest idea."

They molded back together and fell into a new dance. They didn't do anything more than kiss no matter how desperately they both wanted it. They needed time. There would be a moment for that. But for right now, the moment screamed_: kiss her! _

And they did just that.

* * *

**Author's note-**

**Nothing much to say besides, I hope you liked it so far and let me know how I can improve. Have a nice day. :D**


	7. November-Part two

_For the drama that you're drinking  
And the dark thoughts you are thinking  
And the love notes that you scrawl  
Oh, I wish I was a fly on the wall._

_-Fly on the wall by T.A.T.U_

* * *

November-Part two

* * *

_Buzz...buzz...buzz..._

Quinn sleepily woke and looked around for the source of the intrusion. She had been having the greatest dream. She had kissed Rachel, many times. The dream was so fresh that she swore she could still feel Rachel's arms around her.

In her dream she had not wanted to leave. In her dream they had fallen asleep together, wrapped up in their own happiness.

_Buzz..._

She rubbed at her eyes. Quinn discovered two things in those bleary seconds. One, Rachel was sleeping rather soundly on her arm. She had wrapped her leg over Quinn's, trapping her there. She did not mind in the slightest even though her arm was starting to fall back asleep again.

She wondered what Rachel was dreaming about.

And two that stupid alarm was still going off.

_Buzz..._

That stupid phone, she muttered. She looked around and was grateful to find it on her headboard. The battery was nearly dead but it still showed up on her screen:

_November 12__th__ 2013_

_Two new text messages_

_One missed call_

She sighed and typed in the pass code. She would just have to delete them, as per usual. Why did her mom always insist on texting her-

She never opened the text messages. She never actually read them but she had clicked on it by accident.

_Come home Luce_

_I miss you_

The number wasn't her mother's. She knew that number off by heart and had known it since she was five years old. No, this was a different number. Familiar but she hadn't seen it in so long.

It was her father's. She used to have it programmed into her phone. After he died [Or became very ill] she had deleted it.

Her heart was beating so quickly that she feared it would fall out of her chest.

Had it been him this entire time? Was he really not as dead as she thought he was? Was he really able to communicate like this?

She smiled. She was growing excited. She hadn't properly talked to him in what felt like forever. She had to know if he would actually respond back.

_Hey, I miss you too_

The response was quick.

_Come home, Lucy. _

She felt tears sting at her eyes. She was fully awake now as she tapped out the response [Very awkwardly considering she only had one arm available].

_I can't...I have too much here to do. _

The message in response was so simple however it somehow managed to break her heart in two.

_I love you_

It was so simple but it was something that she hadn't heard in so long. She realized now that she needed that. She needed her father to say that he cared about her, no matter what. She had to know that he actually cared.

_Even if have dated more girls than you have? _

_Even then_

That was it, she was undone.

Tears began to stream down her face and she had to put the phone back down again. She set the phone back onto the headboard; it died a few minutes later. She still cried and only stopped when Rachel began to stir. She quickly wiped them away and prayed for no red eyes.

"Good morning," she whispered against her hair.

"Ooh...good morning."

Her eyes snapped open. Her lips formed a small O.

"What time is it?"

Quinn thought back to her phone.

"Around 10am...why?"

Rachel rushed out of the bed. It was within seconds that she had reached the closet was pulling down hangers, cursing her lack of clean uniform skirts.

"What are you doing?"

"We're late. We are so late and if we're late then we are not going to get this credit and if we don't get this credit then we will fail and if we fail then we will be failures. If we are failures then we will never get into university and if we never get into university then I will never be on Broadway and if I'm not on Broadway then there som serious shit wrong with this world and I will die Quinn. My death will be mourned gracefully-"

She by this time had located a mostly clean uniform skirt in the laundry bin and had started unbuttoning her blouse.

And as much as Quinn would love to see Rachel unintentionally do a strip tease...she would have to break the news to her. Through an amused smile she said:

"Rachel, babe...it's Saturday."

"Oh," she said her fingers had paused mid-way down her shirt. She glanced down confused for a moment of what she had been doing before she quickly buttoned it up. She took a moment and glanced over at her, a rather sheepish look on her face.

"Well that was embarrassing."

There are many, very red things that could be compared to Rachel's face at this precise moment. A tomato, a fire truck, little red riding hood, Quinn's copy of 'The adventures of Sherlock Holmes', an apple, a flag [There are many that include red: Pick one], fifty shades of bright red [Sorry could not help it].

However in this instance the best simile would be:

Rachel's face was flushed a red so bright that it put a baboon's butt to shame.

Nailed it.

"Yes, yes it was. Now get back in here, I was not finished cuddling you."

Rachel smirked and climbed back into bed with her. Quinn tucked the blankets around them. Rachel's leg snaked across her, trapping her again as if she was afraid. Afraid of Quinn trying to leave her, afraid that last night had been a mistake and that she was going to leave her.

_They all leave,_ she thought.

"Were you crying?"

"I'm fine...don't worry. I am just really glad that I kissed you last night."

"That's all...are you sure?" She didn't really seem convinced.

"I'm certain...you do not even know how long I have been wanting to do that and not even in a creepy perverted way." She assured her.

"This coming from the girl who has had a four-some," Rachel muttered.

"Hey," Quinn lifted her chin up to meet her eyes. "None of that means anything to me...I just have more experience than most girls do at my age...that's all. You are the one who means more to me...not how many girls have screamed my name, got it?"

"Got it," she replied. "Me too-"

"Me too, what?"

"Me too, as in I am really glad that you kissed me last night."

She brushed a stray hair out her face and tucked it behind her ear. Quinn lightly kissed her forehead, feeling her heart flutter underneath her. She pulled back and looked into her eyes.

"You are so beautiful," she whispered.

She blushed. "Not as beautiful as you...you're the prettiest girl I ever met."

And that was how they spent their Saturday, laying in bed being completely lazy. They ignored morning breath and for the first few hours ignored the need to use the washroom. Eventually they agreed to go to the washroom together.

Rachel couldn't figure out why Quinn kept looking to the shower stall on the end.

And when she asked, all she got was a muttered reply followed by a random change of topic. She didn't pry anymore.

They returned to the bed and just laid there. They exchanged secrets and played twenty questions, just getting to know the other girl more. They laughed, they cried and most of all they felt closer than they ever were.

It had been a long time since either one of them had felt so close to another person enough to be able to share secrets like this. It felt, for lack of a better word nice.

Yes, it was nice to have someone to talk to.

And yes at one point they did start kissing. They did explore that side of their relationship but they mostly kept it in mind that they had plenty of time for that. They were only beginning.

Neither of them mentioned Jan. Rachel did not feel like she was cheating. Jan was only pretending to date her and she had only dated for the sake of having someone to make out with. Honestly, she had only agreed to go out with her because of the fact that she asked her. No one had ever asked her out before and she felt like she couldn't say no. She stayed with her because she was someone. She was someone who was there. Rachel couldn't remember having actual feelings for her.

Now there was Quinn. Rachel was not sure how she felt about Quinn. Quinn was wonderful and unpredictable. She knew how to use a good metaphor and banter with the best of them. She could make her smile and she could make her laugh. She listened to her. No one had ever offered that much to her before.

Jan never listened except when she was telling her secrets about her Dads.

But Quinn had listened to every little thing she had ever said to her. She never had anything better that she needed to do. She was always simply there for her.

Rachel was unsure and confused about her feelings.

All she knew was that she never wanted this day to end.

* * *

All good things however, need to end. It is the circle of life.

It was around three o'clock when they both started to get seriously hungry. They had been ignoring it just to spend more time with the other. However it was inevitable once Quinn could literally hear Rachel's stomach growling. She decided that they needed to go and get food.

Supper in the cafeteria was not set until five however there had to be leftovers from lunch laying around. The lunch ladies always did that. Just to make certain that all the late raisers got something to eat. There was never any real set meal times on the weekends, not like on the weekdays.

So they both dressed, turning around to offer the other privacy but each girl peeked at least once anyway. Once they were ready and did not look like they had spent the entire day lying in bed, they opened the door.

Quinn nearly walked past it.

"Quinn, look." Rachel called for her. There was a cart sitting directly outside their door. The cart was full of sandwiches, soup and a few different types of cakes and cookies. A thermos of fresh tea sat next to a few dainty tea cups and a stack of plates.

A note was leaning against the thermos. Quinn picked it up before Rachel could.

_Sex makes you hungry. Don't think I am stupid, your highness I saw the way you were staring at her ass last night. By the way I really hope you tapped that ass well since you missed out on some smoking hot action down here with Britt and me [Yeah, sexually confused Asian dropped out of it, refusing to cheat on professor sexy legs]. _

_Have fun. ;] _

Quinn's face was burning by the time she finished the note.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked before she nibbled on a cookie. "Oh god this is like heaven in batter, wow. Who sent this?"

"Santana, she thinks the reason we were not outside at all today was because we were having sex."

Rachel's face burned. "But it's not like that...or-"

"I say we eat the food and set Santana right later."

"Sounds good to me," she replied but still refused to make eye contact with her.

Quinn smirked. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

_I refuse to believe it- SL_

_Well it is true...we are together but we are taking it slow. –QF_

_What's the use of that? You obviously want her. –SL_

_Hell yes, I do but she has been hurt a lot by Jan and I don't want to rush her into anything she is not comfortable with. –QF_

_This girl tried to seduce you...you told me that, remember? –SL_

_I know and it was really hot...but she is Rachel and she is the first real girlfriend that I have ever had even though we can't scream it to the world until after the party...I don't know, I just want to make it special. –QF_

_Still don't get it but just make sure to give me details if things ever begin to heat up between you two, alright? I hate the hobbit as much as the next honest bitch but she is damn hot and we all know that you know how to use that tongue of yours, well. I need details. –SL_

_Consider it a porno retelling if and when anything ever happens. –QF_

_I will hold you to that. –SL_

_I know. –QF_

* * *

The days passed slowly to the point of Quinn wanting to take the clocks out with a pellet gun. She was convinced that they were moving so slow on purpose, just to torture her.

Because during the day, during classes and meal times; Rachel belonged to Jan. She held hands with her in the hallways and kissed her cheek when they parted ways. She would laugh at all her jokes and talk to her like nothing was wrong. As if nothing had changed.

That was their plan.

Rachel would need to pretend; to put her acting skills to good use [She was thrilled by the prospect; the drama was like a drug to her. She loved it. ]. She would pretend to be so in love and never drop character.

Quinn was impressed by her skills, to be honest. However she couldn't help the jealousy from heating up inside her. With every kiss on the cheek and every pet name passed between the two of them, she felt it flare up. She was so tempted to grab Rachel out of her arms and kiss her, right there in front of as many people as possible. She wanted everyone to know that she was hers. She did not belong with Jan, she belonged with her and it had always been that way. But she couldn't. As much as her jealousy powered her, she couldn't put Rachel in danger like that. Who knows what Jan would do if put in that situation. They simply couldn't risk it.

So she waited for the nights. At night, in the dark of her dorm room she had Rachel all to herself. There was no, _just friends_ act to play up to. She could cuddle her or she could kiss her silly whatever she wanted, she could.

However, as much to Santana's dismay they normally just talked. They would discuss their days and Quinn might even confess her jealousy. Rachel would see it as a victory; her acting skills were impressive enough to cause such an emotion in her.

It was at that point that Quinn would pull her close and whisper to her. She would not say that she loved her, she was not ready for that yet. This was too new. She needed more time before it came to that point. She would whisper how much she cared about her and every little thing that she adored about her.

_"I love the way your hair smells, it's like the tropics. I can see you on a beach there, wearing a pink bikini. You would attract the attention of everyone there; girl, guy..."_

_"I love your eyes. You can always fake emotions so easily but they hardly ever reach your eyes. That is how I can tell that you are faking it...and that you really care about me."_

_"I love your lips. The color is so intense even without lip stick or anything. You a natural beauty Rachel and don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise."_

Rachel would be quiet but Quinn knew that she was smiling. With every little confession, she would inch closer until their lips just barely touched. She loved doing that, she loved teasing her. Quinn reasoned after a while that she needed to be in control just as much as she needed it. Their relationship shouldn't work because of this but somehow it did. Somehow they fit together perfectly. Two completely different things that despite their differences meshed together brilliantly; like chocolate and bacon.

Even when the sun rose and their alarms went off, even when Rachel and Quinn went through their different morning routines, even when they headed down for breakfast taking two different stairways to throw off the possibly of their hidden relationship and even when Rachel greeted Jan with a kiss on the cheek and a smile, Quinn remembered the nights. She remembered lying up half the night, just laughing and talking to her. She remembered their light nervous kisses that quickly turned into something hotter. She kept that all in mind while she watched them from the sidelines.

She remembered most of all that Rachel cared about her more. The word love was strong and was never used but was heavily implied. She just kept that in mind and it was enough to get her threw the days and onto the nights.

* * *

One morning they woke up to cold feet and a fine layer of fresh snow outside their window. It had taken a long time but it was here. Rachel jumped out of bed and watched as the snowflakes fell down outside their window.

"I used to love to make snow forts when I was younger," she said. "My Dads would wake up early just so they could go out and play in the snow with me. We would spend hours out there at a time and there would always be a cup of hot cocoa waiting for me inside once we finished. No milk of course. I used to have snow balls fights with my neighbors, all the time."

Quinn wrapped her arms around her from behind and kissed behind her ear.

"That is adorable."

"Any snow related memories for Quinn?"

She smiled. "My mom was never one for snow but my dad would be out there before I had even gotten my mittens on. We never got a lot of snow because of where we lived but the little bit that we got was enough. We would be out there all day making snow angels and miniature snow men."

"Where exactly is this country anyway? You never told me."

"If I told you that then I'd have to kill you. It is very obscure and very secret. Next to no one even knows it exists."

"Can I at least know the name?"

"Fine, but you won't be able to pronounce it."

"Try me," she challenged.

"Alright but you can't say I didn't warn you."

She whispered the word close to her ear, feeling the girl shiver ever so slightly.

"T-that's Russian," she said surprised.

"That is correct."

"Then do you know how to speak-"

"Nope," she replied. "I know bits and pieces but not enough to understand...T.A.T.U songs for example."

"This country of yours is more confusing than I thought..."

"No country is all that simple," she replied. "Now I do have another memory with snow."

"Oh really?"

Yes, my first kiss was during a snow fall. Her name was Sophie and we were at this park. She kissed me and it was...interesting."

"Your first kiss was interesting? That is all you can describe it as?"

"Well I was twelve at the time and had no idea what my sexuality was. I was raised to not be completely homophobic but I never even thought about it before then."

"Sexuality crisis," she asked.

"Yep...we have all had them, right?"

"Right...considering my first kiss was with a guy so..."

She raised her eyebrows. "Really, in all of my sultry years I have never kissed a guy."

"Not once?"

"Never," she replied. "Straight A Gay here."

"I see well my first kiss was more on a dare so I'm not sure that it actually counts. We were dared to kiss at a Christmas party back when I was about ten. I couldn't pass down a dare...it was an uncomfortable experience...to say the least."

"See we're not weird at all. I describe my first kiss as interesting and you describe it as uncomfortable. What happened?"

'He tried to stick his tongue in my mouth and he pressed himself all up against me and-"

"It was gross?"

"Very," she replied.

"Well you got me now and I'm not a gross boy with cooties."

"Oh god cooties who even believe in those anymore?" She laughed.

"I am a high believer in cooties, I'll have you know. It is a very serious condition Rachel and you should not make fun of it."

The seriousness of her tone just set her off again. Quinn eventually joined in, forgetting that she was pretending to be serious for a moment.

"You know we could fix that first kiss memory of yours," Rachel whispered.

"Oh and how would we do that?"

Rachel wiggled around in her arms until she was facing her. She pressed her lips, firmly against hers. After a moment she pulled away.

"There now you will see snow as me kissing you and not that awkward girl when you were twelve."

"Thank- you oh so much Rachel. You always know how to make a girl feel better."

"I do try," she replied with a smirk. "Now we need to start getting ready for class! I am already ten minutes behind and you know how I get when I don't get in my morning routine."

"Get on the elliptical, Rachel. I need to go out for a quick run anyways. I think I may be starting to get soft, can't have that can we?"

"No we cannot."

"Exactly, I'll be back up here in half an hour."

"Have fun," she said climbing up onto the machine. Quinn quickly changed into her jogging pants and hoodie. She could feel Rachel's eyes on her the entire time maybe she would have something to tell Santana about after all. The thought made her smile and she was out of the door much faster.

She plugged in her headphones and let the Russian lyrics wash over her. What can she say? It grows on you after a while. Maybe she could learn some Russian...it could be her and Rachel's secret language. She didn't know anyone who spoke Russian.

They could have code words that only they would know. The messages that they could send to each other, the thought was kinky at best and highly distracting.

She jogged around the campus and headed back to her dorm, once the alarm she had set went off. She often lost track of time when she was out jogging and she needed to have enough time to take a shower before class started.

She slowed when she reached the building. Her muscles were sore and tired, all in a good way however. She loved being out jogging again. She had been putting it off, in order to spend more time with Rachel before she went into her genius acting phase.

"Rachel," she called once she got to the door. She didn't hear a response and the sounds of the elliptical were gone. She rushed to open the door. Her hand shook as she turned the door knob.

The room was empty. It took a few seconds since she was no Sherlock Holmes.

Rachel was gone and not just to the bathroom.

The elliptical laid on its side, pulled tight against the plug. Blankets were thrown everywhere, along with school books and nearly everything that she owned. Her phone thankfully was still placed on the head board.

She chokingly traced five rows of nail marks on the wall leading to the door. Pink nail polish pieces were scattered among the cracks.

A note sat on Rachel's neatly made bed. The only area of the room that didn't look ransacked. Quinn's hands shook as she picked it up and folded it open.

_I am not an idiot, Lucy. _

_I know about you and Rachel. I have known that you fancied her for quite a while now. I just never thought that she would actually give into you. I underestimated her. I know your plans and I just have to tell you now, that they won't work. I have everything figured out in my favor and you cannot stop me. _

_I have Rachel now. We are on a private jet to New York City. By the time you get this letter we would have already been off. Don't you even try to come after me, Lucy I have eyes everywhere and I will know the second you decide to make a move. Do not worry about her. I promise that I will take very good care of her. _

_And in the sense of all good spy movies, Luce...I have to let you know that this letter will self destruct at 7:31am. And why 31, you ask because it is more dramatic that way. _

Quinn dropped the page.

She reasoned that they would not possibly be on a plane by now. She had only been gone half an hour and-

Jan could be anyone. She could have a private jet on standby somewhere. Rachel could really be gone now.

She was gone she was already on a plane by now. She had failed to protect her.

She had failed.

It took a few minutes for this to settle in and by that time she started to hear girls moving down the halls into class. She didn't move.

The letter started to beep when 7:30 came and she tossed it out the window. A small explosion occurred over the path below but she hardly noticed.

Her phone was left behind however it still dead. She sat impatient next to a charger while she waited for it to boot up. The second that she could access her information she punched out a text.

_San, come to my room. Bring Tina and Britt with you. We are going on a little trip. –QF_

* * *

Rachel had always hated planes. She was the type of person who got motion sickness very easily. She had been inside of planes, very often during her childhood and had never gotten used to the experience.

Now, she realized that she might never get used to it.

Having ones feet and arms tied to a seat was not the most pleasant of rides. Also not when a rope was gagged across ones mouth to prevent her from screaming and/or biting.

She had fought when they first brought her here. She had bit and snapped as much as she could. But she was overpowered and tied to the chair, just the same. Jan claimed it was for her own good and as soon as she could promise not to bite she would remove the gag.

She rolled her eyes.

Jan had not returned for awhile. Which left her alone among a dozen empty seats around her, it was creepy she found. As far as she knew Jan and the pilots were the only ones on this vessel. She had never felt so alone before.

But she refused to cry.

That would make Jan win and she couldn't let her win. Not again.

It felt like hours before the curtain across the plane pulled open. Jan came in. She wasn't wearing her mask or her make-up anymore or her colored eye contacts. She looked a lot different now.

Her skin was a much lighter tone making her hair look twice as dark. Her eyes were actually brown, a dull and not at all inviting brown. She was reminded of Quinn's hazel eyes and had to fight back tears. She feared that she would never be able to look inside those eyes again.

Jan wore her hair back in a ponytail. Her clothes were simple; a pair of blue jeans and a blank black T-Shirt. She still looked intimidating. She looked like someone who could slice a man's throat without thinking twice about it. Or someone who could stand tall and proud to give a speech...she could see the image so vividly in her mind.

She hardly noticed when she sat down across from her.

"Do you promise not to bite now?"

She nodded. She was not promising anything but the gag was seriously very annoying.

Jan untied the rope, easily and dropped it next to her seat. Rachel didn't bite as promised and she didn't scream either. She just stared at her.

"Good girl," she said as if she were speaking to a dog. "Be this good for a few more minutes and maybe I will untie you so you can get something to eat. I am sorry for taking you on this trip before letting you have your breakfast. It was awfully rude of me."

"Don't you mean this kidnapping?" She snapped. "They will notice that I'm gone and when they do-"

"They will what?" She smirked. "No one will even suspect me. I was a good student, remember? They will launch an investigation and no matter how hard they try they will not be able to link this back to me. I have had it planned all along. Though I was hoping I could go for option A, which meant a free pass into the party but I guess I will have to go by force, pity I was looking forward to being your date."

"You sick woman."

"I know," she said. "I am sick and am damn proud of it. Life would be boring otherwise."

"Can you at least tell me what will happen? That's what all the villains do in this sort of situation."

"And I guess I do fall into that stereotype, don't I? Well then, I will tell you everything. We are going to New Jersey, an inn just outside of New York in fact. We will be staying there for the time being. We will be moving around a lot though, just to warn you ahead of time. Also this plane ride is only another hour or so. You might wish to ask me-"

"Why are you doing this?" She asked.

"I like to cause trouble and normally that is where my answers end. But not today, this project in done in revenge."

"What have I ever done to you?"

"Oh no, not revenge on you and not even revenge on something your Dads did."

She cocked an eyebrow, confused. "On whom then?"

"Who else? There is a girl that you know pretty well I should say. She owes me a favor from a long time ago and has yet to pay it back. I need to collect, you know."

Rachel ranked her brain. Thinking through all the girls that she knew quite well...her mind kept going back to Quinn but she wouldn't let herself admit it until she had eliminated all other possibilities.

"Do you mean Quinn?"

"A bit slow, are we? Yes of course I mean Quinn."

As she said her name, her eyes shone bright with a feeling that Rachel couldn't place. It happened every time she had said her name before but she had never thought anything of it. She had never considered the even possibility of it. _Could that be love or hate,_ she wondered.

"What do you want with her?"

"I want what she took from me and more. I do not plan to stop until I get it." She replied. "Now this game of twenty questions is over."

"I have hardly even asked-"

"Shut-up," she said. "You can be so irritating sometimes. I cannot possibly understand how Quinn could love you, I never could."

"I will bring you in some late breakfast. You will need your strength."

Jan stood and headed towards the cock pit.

_Quinn loved her,_ she thought. The thought made her insides tingle and a smile broke across her face despite all else. Quinn loved her. She might actually care about her that much. She might care about her enough to actually love her.

She wanted to dance. She wanted to sing.

But she couldn't do either because her limbs were still bound and her throat a bit parched. Still she was singing in her mind and twirling inside her deepest thoughts.

It was possible that Jan meant nothing by that comment. It was entirely reasonable that she had just let the word slip. But she didn't care. She would take it to heart, it gave her hope. Maybe Quinn could find her.

Maybe she was trying, right now to locate her. Maybe she was so lost without her that she hardly even knew what to do.

She could be on her way to her right now.

The thought made her swell with happiness.

Maybe this wasn't the end and only the beginning.

Maybe it could all be made possible because Quinn loved her.


	8. December-Part one

_I keep asking myself, wondering how  
I keep closing my eyes but I can't block you out  
Wanna fly to a place where it's just you and me  
Nobody else so we can be free._

_-All the things she said by .U_

* * *

**_December-Part one_**

As it turns out, getting out the state was surprisingly simple. Tickets were booked overnight and the girls were ready to get on a plane the next morning.

Tina has excellent travel status.

"My parents are divorced and live on separate continents," she said. "Ever since I was six I was been flying back and forth between them when I wasn't in school. I know planes, like Brittany knows dolphins."

A few forged notes later and 'professor sexy legs' was driving them to the air port. Tina rode shot gun in his soccer mom minivan while Quinn and Brittany rode in the second rows, Santana was happy to have the entire back seat to herself. She took the opportunity to spread out and balance a magazine on her knees. Two minutes into the ride and she had placed headphones into her ears and was easily ignoring the world.

Quinn was not as lucky. She was worried sick. She kept staring out the window and tapping her knee. Tap. Look. Tap. Look.

Brittany stared out the other window but for different reasons. She seemed to be naming every house that they passed. She would announce her names, loudly to the rest of the car. She was also playing a game of Cows by herself and claimed that everything was a cow. Tina played along with her, bending to her rules when needed.

"I may get fired for this," Mike said. His hands tightened painfully around the wheel.

"Professor you have said that at least fifty times by now," San piped up from the back seat. "Really though dating a student should have gotten you fired already."

"He is a student teacher, Satan. Not that much older than me.

She shrugged and unplugged one of her ears.

"Fine then tell professor that he has nothing to worry about. He'll be back in that school in no time and no one will even notice that he left."

"Cow," Brittany said. "Susan and Robert," she said pointing to two houses that were rather close together.

"I know but-"

"But nothing, sir you have nothing to worry about. The sexually confused Asian wouldn't lead you into trouble."

"San!"

"What?"

"That nickname-"

"Is genius and so true unless you are not confused anymore?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to her, Mike she means well."

"No I don't!"

"Should I not listen to that?" He smirked.

"You get used to this kind of thing once you hang out with them more."

"Cow," Brittany said.

"She does realize that you're not playing anymore, right?" He whispered gesturing back to Brittany.

"I'll be honest, I don't know what goes on in her brain half the time."

"Another thing I have to get used to?"

"Exactly, if you plan to stick around for a while," she said.

"Then I'll adjust." He smiled wide, two rows of teeth showing. Tina blushed and looked away.

"Ugh, your Heterosexuality is grossing me out."

"San, that is offensive."Tina snapped.

"All I am saying is that people say that all the time about gay people so why can't I say it about you two Hetro messes?"

"Go back to your magazine, Satan."

"Will do," she smirked. But she didn't turn back to her magazine. She noticed Quinn's blank stare and decided that it couldn't go on for any longer.

She flipped through her phone and texted her:

_Something wrong...blonde –SL_

Quinn's pocket beeped and she dug through it to find her phone. She rolled her eyes when she realized it was Santana. She looked back at her and cocked an eyebrow. Santana didn't look up from her magazine. She shook her head and texted back.

_I'm worried sick...I was no idea what is going on. –QF_

_We will figure it, Q. –SL_

_And what if we can't? What if Jan gets away with her plan? What if she hurts her? –QF_

_Rachel may be an annoying little obnoxious bitch but she is tough. She will last until we can find her, I am sure of it. –SL_

Quinn fought the urge to wipe back a tear.

_I really don't know, San. –QF_

_Stop whining, Blonde. We will find her. There is no 'if' in the situation. She will be found and we will bring her back to that school and you will kiss her senseless in numerous places. That is a definite thing. Don't you even worry. –SL_

_Thanks. –QF_

_No problem...I'm just being a good friend. –SL_

Quinn couldn't stop the grin on her face. Santana had never said anything like that, it was so out of character and she loved it.

_Do not ever show this communication to anyone or I will cut you, bitch. With love, Satan_

That's my girl, Quinn thought. She didn't type but somehow Santana knew.

* * *

The second they arrived on the plane, one thing was discovered and that was that Brittany had never been on a plane before.

So she ended up claiming the window seat and pressed her face against the it as they took off. Brittany thankfully did not appear to be afraid of flying and made whoosh sounds as they plane took off.

"San! San!" She said. "The plane went whoosh, did you hear that?"

Santana smiled and gripped her hand. "Yes, yes it did."

Santana however was rather grateful that she had taken the window seat. She had never liked flying herself and Brittany was being the perfect distraction. As she usually was.

Brittany began chatting rather loudly about how exciting the plane was.

Across the aisle, Quinn turned to Tina.

"What do her parents do for a living anyway? She's never been on a plane before."

Tina shrugged. "I have no idea. I never really thought about it. Though I do remember her saying something about her daddy getting an award for helping otters...but I don't really know what-"

"Maybe he is one of those people who clean up after oil spills?" She shrugged. "First thought."

"Yeah maybe," she replied.

She dug out a book from her carry on putting an end to conversation. Quinn considered doing the same but her mind was muddled again. She feared that she would not be able to focus on the story when her own was so distracting.

So she took the opportunity to get some rest. She figured that she would need it.

Finding Rachel in New York was going to be a difficult task.

She was vaguely reminded of a movie that she watched as a child. It was about a clown fish whose dad was really overprotective. He got himself caught by some humans and taken away. She remembered the daddy fish's struggle in trying to find him, to find Nemo.

Rachel was Nemo at the moment.

Quinn smiled and wondered what she would think of that.

_"Well at least you put me as one of the leads, though it is not a very difficult role to play, no musical numbers even despite it being a Pixar movie. I'll have to admit that I am a bit offended that you would consider me irresponsible enough to get myself captured by evil humans-"_

_"Isn't that what you did?"_

_"No I got myself captured by Jan, who may or may not be human. It is still unproven until the DNA results return."_

She drifted off for the rest of the flight. She vaguely recalled Tina placing a pillow behind her head and her mumbled thank you.

Her dreams were cluttered as she tried to remember as much of that movie as she could. She recalled the scene where Nemo's mother died trying to protect him [A rouge thought but wouldn't Harry Potter and Nemo get along well?]. She cried at that moment when she was younger. She didn't understand why she had to die. Nemo and his siblings needed a mother, why did she have to dive down her children? They all would have been safe if she had just listened to her husband.

Then she realised.

She had to do something. There had to be a way that could protect them even if she ended up sacrificing herself. She had to make sure that her children were safe.

But they weren't only Nemo was.

She hoped that Rachel was a survivor, like Nemo.

The dream shifted and she was lying in bed.

She could see her lying on her arm, fast asleep. The image was so vivid that she felt like she could reach out and touch her. She could even feel her arm falling asleep and the urge to move it but she didn't. She didn't want to disturb her, so she just watched grateful that for once her dreams did not turn into nightmares.

The memories of Finding Nemo had thankfully left her mind.

* * *

Jan was correct in her statement that they would be moving around frequently. The next morning, they ate breakfast together in the kitchen downstairs. The house keeper had prepared something for them to reheat the night before since it was five O'clock in the morning and she was not awake.

Jan didn't say a word as she ate through her breakfast sandwich. Rachel had no choice but to follow suit, she never knew when she would get the chance to eat again. She needed her strength.

The night before had been exhausting. She had gotten, only a few hours of sleep and those times were interrupted by nightmares. She often found herself jerking awake, breathing hard and shivering, she would wrap her arms tighter around herself. Jan as it appears didn't sleep with a blanket and hadn't let her have one. Her PJ's were thin and the room chilly.

Jan however slept like a baby the entire night. She did not once see her stir, always lying on her side facing away from her. Rachel never dared to wake her.

She was not afraid of her. She was afraid of the things she could do. She was powerful and that was terrifying. Rachel had always seen herself as powerful, confident. But Jan saw herself as the only leader in the room.

She was confident and strong, she had no weaknesses.

And if she did, she kept them hidden well.

So she would lay back down and sleep on; hoping for a miracle that would never come.

Jan finished eating and shoved her empty plate forward.

"We will be traveling by helicopter to our next location." She said. "We will be staying at a small family run inn, much like this one. You smell, so I will give you exactly one hour to shower, dress and be ready to go."

She stood and stared her straight in the eye.

"I have this entire house bugged and several armed guards just waiting around, wanting something to punch. Do not even try to escape."

Rachel watched as she left and sucked in a breath. She could do this. She could escape but not now. She would need to wait for the right moment, the moment when Jan would least expect it.

But for now she needed to get out of her PJs which were starting to stink. She glanced to the dirty dishes on the table before setting them both in the sink. She wouldn't have time to wash them but at least it didn't look as bad.

She wandered outside the kitchen and walked back upstairs, taking the same route as before. She subtly glanced up every few seconds and she found two cameras in her short walk. Each trained on her as she walked past.

She tried to look as innocent as possible, her face became masklike and calm while on the inside she was plotting her escape. The drama of the situation was building and her mind went to work trying to find the best possible ending.

All of them seemed to end with her dying or Quinn dying to save her. No, there had to be a better ending than that.

When the idea surfaced, she couldn't help but smile. She turned to one of the cameras and genially smiled before making her way to her room. She had the most perfect idea, now she just needed a moment to execute it.

She entered her room to find a new set of clothes laid out on the freshly made bed. Her eyes widened. The jeans were bright black and the long shelved shirt was the same color. The only difference was the sweater which was yellow.

She read somewhere that yellow was the most easy color to spot and that was why Taxies were yellow. Jan was turning her into a Taxi. There was no way she could slip into a crowd wearing this. She would be spotted right away.

"Another precaution," she muttered. "So that I don't escape...well we'll have to see about that."

She carried the clothes to the bathroom and started up the shower. A few towels were stacked on the sink and a bath mat was already on the floor. Was that Jan or was that the house keeper?

She went around finding soap and shampoo while checking the room for cameras. There was only one and it was pointed directly at the shower.

The little pervert...

Nonetheless she undressed and climbed into the steam. The hot water startled her awake and felt oh so good on her back. But she only had an hour so she set to work on cleaning herself, ignoring the fact that she was being watched.

The second that she had cleaned the shampoo out, she exited. The camera followed her every move as she dried herself off and got dressed. She brushed her hair and teeth wondering how much time she had left.

She left the bathroom and stood in the hall, listening. She heard no one but that didn't mean that she was not being watched.

In a lapse of judgement she wrote a sentence in a patch of dust on the wood trim.

_Help me- RB_

* * *

The hotel that they were staying at was very nice and very expensive. The girls had combined their credit cards and realized that they could all stay here for several months without running low. Sometimes being rich had its perks.

So after checking in [Successfully lying about their ages] they headed up to the suite that would be their new home for...well they were not exactly sure how long. The room was large and spacious. The walls were painted a light coral blue with white trimming around the floor and the ceiling. A pair of French doors led to balcony that upon farther inspection had a fantastic view of New York's office buildings. The room was mostly taken up by two very blue and very plush sofas that were positioned in front of a flat screen T.V. A fluffy white carpet was placed under this area, separating it from the small kitchenette on the other end of the room.

"It's a cloud," Brittany announced. She kneeled down onto the carpet and pet it for farther inspection on whether or not it is a cloud.

"Ah, I have missed the luxury." Santana said, falling back onto the sofa pillows. The softness practically ate her. The pillows surrounded her and reminded her of her plush bed back home. She wondered if the beds were this soft. She sat up and grinned.

Quinn was just standing around, her eyes not exactly looking at anything in particular. She seemed to be seeing something else very different than the fancy hotel room around her.

"Blonde, we are in a very fancy swanky hotel and you are not testing the softness of the sofa?"

Quinn attentively sat down on the edge of the sofa.

"Very soft," she muttered. She seemed like she was elsewhere. Her mind was in another world and Santana felt the need to bring her out of that.

"Britt," she whispered.

She looked up and smiled to her. Santana jerked her head to the quiet blonde and Brittany nodded. She crawled over to the sofa and climbed up next to her. Quinn hardly even noticed.

"How about some T.V?" San asked. "There has to be a good Gay one on, we are in New York."

She winked at Britt and switched on the T.V. She began to flip through the channels, never staying on one for more than a second.

Britt took this as a sign and placed her hand on Quinn's thigh. She sat as close as possible to her and leaned her head on her shoulder. She began to draw circles on her thigh and with each circle she aimed a little higher.

Quinn glanced down at her hand. Her face barely registered this new information and in a monotone like voice she said,

"Britt, really I'm not in the mood."

Brittany ignored her and continued her circles. Santana decided on a show, she had no idea what it was since it was on commercial but she did not care.

She leaned over and kissed the sensitive area behind her ear. She delighted in Quinn's shiver and started kissing down her neck.

She sucked and bit at the skin while Quinn remained mostly impassive, like she was trying to ignore her. That simply would not do.

She winked at Britt and she aimed her circles higher until each circle passed by Quinn's crotch. Quinn couldn't help her moan of approval at the ministrations. She thought about asking them to stop but the pleasure was distracting her from her thoughts. She needed the distraction.

"-Guys we have free breakfast in the morning and the clerk at the counter told me-"

Tina entered the room, her face covered by a handbook for the hotel. She moved it and stared open mouthed at the activities in the room. Santana stopped her work and winked at her, seductive.

"You could join us," Britt added. "We are making Quinn feel better."

The girl in question was staring down at her lap, blank.

"Thanks, but it's not-"

"You don't want us?" Britt asked, her face looking as though Quinn had kicked her puppy.

"It just doesn't feel right with everything that is going on. Thanks for trying but I think I'll go research...try to find out where Rachel is. We have Wi-Fi set up right?"

Tina nodded having recovered from her shock. "They have everything here. They even have a pool and an arcade and a work-out room." She read off the handbook.

"Oh God now she's crying," San exclaimed. "What is wrong? We are in a damn fancy hotel and you don't even want to-"

"I want to find Rachel. We came here to find Rachel, not to go swimming or go waste money in an arcade. I need to find her." Her shoulders shook, Brittany took her hand and Santana sighed but took the other. Tina wrapped her hand around Britt and Quinn's interlocked ones and squeezed.

"We will find her, Quinn. She will be alright but for right now I want to go swimming." Santana announced. "I have this new red bikini and it is fun to see all the boys fall over it and-"

"Never be able to get it?"

"Exactly Britt, exactly," she replied. "Join us?"

"No, have fun don't let me get you down. I just need to focus right now. Hopefully I'll have a few leads by morning." She untangled their hands and walked over to her laptop bag. She set herself up at the desk without a word and loaded up the internet.

"I'll stay with her," Tina whispered. "Make sure that she is alright."

"Does that have to do with your fear of swimsuits?" Santana asked. "Because you have nothing to ashamed of and I should know that well." She ranked her eyes over the girl. She wore a low cut shirt that day and a push-up bra, just enough to show a little cleavage...

She rolled her eyes. "My fear of swimsuits is perfectly logical and I have plenty to be ashamed of."

"Why does she always say that, San?"

"I have no idea, Britt. Tina you are smoking hot and everyone in sight distance of dat ass agrees with me. Come on Britt, let's shock people with our hotness." She linked pinkies and walked off without another word, leaving a very red Tina behind.

They grabbed their swimsuits and headed into the bathroom to change, together. Tina wondered if something other than changing was going on in that bathroom. She sighed and looked to Quinn.

"I think I might end up being the sexually confused Asian forever."

"Don't take Satan too seriously," she replied. "All I get called are Blonde, Q and occasionally bitch. You're lucky that you're nickname actually makes sense."

"Are you implying that I'll never figure out what the hell I am and will forever wonder-"

"Yes."

"Well some of us can't be blessed with knowing what we like so early on in life."

Quinn spun around and glanced at her.

"You like guys right?"

"Well I am dating one, yes."

"But does he make you...hot."

Tina blushed. "I am not sure if I am comfortable answering that."

"Just answer me."

"Yes," she said. "Very much, so."

"Have you guys...you know gone all the way yet?"

She shook her head. "The relationship is really new and-"

"How long did you know Britt and San before you slept with them?"

She blushed and stumbled through her words.

"T-that's different...different situation all together...but if you must know I knew them for at least three months before anything like that happened."

"And you wanted something to happen?"

She nodded.

"Then maybe you are Bisexual or you could just be Bi-curious. I can't tell you, you have to figure that out for yourself."

"Then why did you bring it up? Just to embarrass me further?"

"No, because you are really cute when you blush. See that is what I mean...absolutely adorable."

"Why am I getting so many compliments, today?"

"Because you deserve them and need to stop acting like you...like you do not deserve them."

"Thank, Q."

"No problem now if you'll excuse me I have some more research to do."

"Any leads yet?"

"A few ideas but nothing too serious quite yet...I just need to figure out where Jan could hide Rachel around here without a friend of a friend telling her Dads about it."

"That's where we should start."

"What?"

"We should tell her Dads, they might be able to help. If they really own Broadway than they must have enough power to set out a full scale search...I still don't get how you can own Broadway-"

"They don't own all of it,' she explained. "They just own a few of the most popular shows and that gives them a reputation among the not so popular ones. They helped get many shows off the ground and are very, very rich and very well known."

"So they could-"

"Help, you mean. Maybe...I mean they deserve to know that their daughter might be in danger, yes but...I don't know but I'm worried that they might make this public. Jan has Rachel and she can do whatever she wants with her and I just don't want to take the risk that under the pressure she might-"

Tina nodded. "I know...it was just a thought, forget I brought it up."

"Tina I-"

"It is nothing besides I need to call Mike soon anyways. I promised that I would the second after we were all checked in and everything."

"You do that," she replied and she turned back to the computer.

Tina took one long glance at her back before taking her cell-phone into the other room. She closed and locked the door behind her. She knocked loudly on the door and placed her ear to it.

Quinn hadn't stirred.

She was safe.

The room she had locked herself into was one of the two bedrooms in the suite. One double bed took up a large area of the room. It was dressed in grey sheets with a fluffy white blanket. She sat down on the edge, not surprised to find that it felt like a cloud.

Tina had plenty of experience with hotels and she hated it. They were always cold but not in terms of heating. It never felt like anyone lived there or ever could. Tina herself would find the obscene amount of white and grey unsettling and would try to locate a real house at once.

That was why she liked the school. The colors were awful, yes and they hardly ever went well together. However at least someone actually lived there. A lot of someone's...it was like the family that she had never had.

Staring down at the phone in her hand, she took in a large breath.

Perhaps it wasn't too late.

Perhaps she could do different. They were her friends after all.

She slowly punched in the familiar number and let her finger hover over the call button. She always got like this before calling. Tina always questioned herself. She could never do anything right. Her parents agreed.

If she wasn't getting awards by the dozen then she would be invisible among all their issues. Growing up she had never once heard a 'good job' or a 'we are proud of you.'

Because they never were...no one was ever proud of her.

She was always just invisible.

She could blend into the background, easy enough. She could stutter and pretend to be shy, easy enough. That is what made her such a great double agent.

She pressed call and held the phone to her ear.

"Jan, we have checked in to that hotel that you wanted us to."

"Excellent," she replied across the line. "Just wait for a few more hours and someone will be there to collect you and your friends."

Tina gripped the phone tight. Jan always made her feel so nervous. All sense of confidence could be dropped just by her voice over the phone. Maybe that was why it was so easy to follow her orders in the first place, because of that fear.

"T-they will not be harmed, right?"

"Of course not...You know I don't need them. It is just a minor precaution, to make certain that no one gets in the way of our plans."

"I know...I-I was just making sure."

"Good, good...you will be a great spy Tina. I can see it already."

"Thank-you," she said.

It would take her a long while before she would realize that it wasn't a compliment.

From inside the room she could hear the other two girls coming back from the pool. They chatted easily and loudly. Tina's eyes widened, how sound proof was this room?

"I need to get going," she said. "Just promise me that you won't hurt her."

"I don't normally make promises but I will make an exception. I promise you."

Tina hung up. She deleted her call history...just in case. She pulled herself together and forced a smile, like always.

Tina Cohen-Chang stood and unlocked the door. She stepped back out into the room and acted as though nothing was amiss.

"Out so soon?" Quinn asked. "I thought you would be talking for hours."

She had joined Santana and Brittany on the couch. At least she wasn't obsessing over finding Rachel anymore that would make things a lot simpler.

She sat down next to them.

"Nah, he had tests to grade so I had to let him go. Anything interesting on T.V? We can order room service and watch a movie-"

"Wreck it Ralph," Brittany announced.

Santana tried to hide her annoyance and smiled over it.

"Britt didn't we watch that two days ago?"

She nodded. "But it is awesome and we should watch it again."

For a second the girls thought she was going to snap. But she didn't by some miracle she never snapped at Britt.

"I'm sure we can find it on the movie station," she said between gritted teeth.

Brittany's smile grew to near bursting. She turned and engulfed Satan in a huge bear hug. Santana hugged her back for a moment while a very smug looking Quinn flipped through the movie channel.

All the while Tina fiddled with her phone. She hoped that somehow she had done the right thing. The stories never ended well for the traitor.

* * *

Jan hung up and placed the phone back into her pocket. She glanced around the room. It was quiet. She spun around in her computer chair and faced several T.V screens where countless amounts of live footage were being broadcasted straight to her.

On one screen she watched Rachel getting ready for bed. She had just exited the shower and was currently trying to dry her hair with a towel. Jan would have to get her a hair dryer that takes way to long.

A few screens showed the school and all the crazy that was going on at the moment. She could watch as teachers tried in vain to locate the missing students and also keep the remaining ones from getting any ideas. She also could watch as the teachers became suspicious of one particular student teacher. He would be busted, Jan could already see the court case. Wouldn't make a great headline? Teacher has affair with student, while helping her and her friends sneak off campus. Well, it would need to be shorter but that would be the jest of it. That poor student teacher, he would never be able to get a real job anywhere with that on his record. However it was of little concern to her. His young girlfriend was on her side...or so she thought. She wasn't significant in her plans. She was easily disposable. She was just another double agent that betrayed her friends. A cliché if anything it was.

Another she could view the goings on at the hotel in New York. She briefly watched as the girls watched a movie on the flat screen. Quinn sat on the end of the couch and was laughing at something on the screen. Jan zoomed into her face and smiled. There was just something about Quinn that was so interesting.

Perhaps it was her beauty. Jan couldn't place anyone in her mind that would come anywhere close to her. She couldn't be compared.

Though that was not her reasoning behind her fascination...she was just so different. Her father lay in his death bed, could go any day now and she refused to go home and see him even though she hadn't wanted to come in the first place.

She rebelled. She refused to be bullied and she refused to be treated as any less than she deserved. One would think her need to be in control would make her want to be the queen but Jan knew that wasn't true.

She wanted to be in control but she didn't want the responsibility that would take on her. She wanted to wear a crown and not have to do anything about it. She could be in charge and hardly ever do anything. She wanted freedom.

Jan could give her that.

If she wanted to that is.

But she didn't. She needed revenge. She needed revenge on the girl who stole her heart and never quite gave it back. Quinn had won her and did not even wish to claim the prize. She hated it. She hated how much she could love her. She hated how she would never feel the same because of that stupid diva she was hung up on.

So she was just going to have to win her over. She would need to break her and break her friends in order to get to her. There might be a lot of breaking involved but the plan would work, she was certain of it.

She had planned it down to the last millisecond. It would not fail.

It couldn't.

* * *

**Author's note-**

**The only thing that I can say is that I am sorry. Family drama to the extreme and I could not find the time to update. I hope you can all understand without me having to explain it. It is resolved now and I will be updating again. **

**There are two more parts to December then the story is completely finished. I may upload this faster than once a week. **

**That is all. Thank-you all for reading this thus far and I hope you have enjoyed it. **


	9. December-Part two

_30 minutes, a blink of an eye_  
_30 minutes,to alter our lives_  
_30 minutes,to make up my mind_  
_30 minutes,to finally decide._

_-30 minutes by T.A.T.U_

* * *

December-Part two

As the night went on, Tina found herself growing more and more nervous. Jan had not specified when she would be coming so she really did not know what to expect. Would she be sending people to collect them or would she be collecting them herself?

She did not have the slightest idea. As the movie came to a close she looked over to the others, to her friends. Britt had fallen asleep a few minutes before and she leaning her head on Santana's shoulder. Quinn had suggested that they move her but Santana had given her a look. Good god, if looks could kill they would all be dead by now.

So she just leaned her head on top of Britt's and honestly they both looked adorable with their blanket pulled up to their chins. Tina couldn't help but smile. She really hoped that nothing would happen to them. Sometimes hoping was all she could have. Jan had promised.

She had promised...she promised.

Quinn had a blanket wrapped around her legs and was eating packaged chocolate by the dozen. Tina wondered briefly if she had gotten her period and that had inspired the random chocolate craving but didn't want to ask. At the moment she feared that she may have her head torn off.

It probably had something to do with Rachel.

She just couldn't handle that right now. So she focussed on the movie.

The credits began to roll. No one moved. Santana closed her eyes and snuggled in closer to Britt. She didn't plan on moving anytime soon. It was sweet in a way.

Quinn picked up her chocolate and moved to the kitchenette. Tina watched out the corner of her eye as she threw out the box and promptly began looking for more snacks. Tina supposed that everyone deals with stress in different ways.

This must be how Quinn deals with it.

Tina however was growing tired. She yawned and leaned back into the plush sofa. She tucked herself in and fell asleep within two minutes.

Sixty three and a half minutes later, a knock sounds at their door. Quinn's screams would wake the sleeping girls.

Three minutes later they all fall back asleep again.

* * *

Hopes were dashed about four hours later when Brittany woke up. The first thing she noticed was that her hands were tied behind her back. The second thing was that San was lying beside her, fast asleep. And a third, this place smelled like...gas and cheap cologne.

"San," she whispered. "Santana...wake up. I think I'm in a dream but I'm not sure so you have to get up so I can check."

Her eyes snapped open and she took in her surroundings. It only took a second for her to realize what had happened.

"Where are we?" She asked.

Brittany shrugged.

"I was hoping that you would know."

The car hit a rough patch of road and she jumped. San landed on her back and realized something. She was in a car and Quinn's butt was awfully close to her face.

"Quinn," she whispered. She stirred a bit but didn't wake.

"Quinn," she repeated, a bit louder. For some reason the thought of speaking in anything above a whisper had not occurred to her. It must have been the fear. San would never admit it but it was there, a dark shadow looming over her throughout the ordeal.

"Rachel," Quinn moaned and rolled over onto her back. She accidently kicked Santana as she sighed.

"Not only are we stuck in the back of some pervert's truck but Quinn is having a sex dream about the freaking hobbit? I'd be fine if it was about me...Honestly. Britt, we need to get her up."

Her annoyance caused her voice to raise above the guarded whisper of before.

"The sexually confused Asian-"

"Well she has to be here-"

San pulled herself to a sitting position and looked around. Tina was nowhere in sight, it appears that the pervert only wanted to kidnap the three of them.

"I guess the perv doesn't like Asians. He probably hasn't seen anime then." Santana mumbled.

"Well, she is probably finding help for us."

She said this with such confidence that it was nearly heartbreaking. So Santana nodded and in the dark corners of her mind she hoped that Brittany was right.

"Yeah, maybe...Just help me get Q up."

Britt sat up and scooted across the floor to Quinn.

Quinn had yet to moan again but the looks she was giving off left little to be desired.

"Quinn," Britt said as she nudged her with her knee. "You need to get up."

Quinn moaned and rolled over again.

"I never realized how much of a heavy sleeper she is. Let me help."

She without missing a beat slammed her knee into Quinn's bare foot. Quinn nearly screamed. Her voice was muffled by Britt's hand?

"How did you get your hand free?" She asked, franticly.

Brittany shrugged out of the other end of the rope, hand still on Quinn's mouth. Quinn squirmed and thought to bite it...but it was Brittany so she resisted.

"I have small wrists and the knots were not very tight."

"Untie me, would you?"

"What is going on?" Quinn asked, the second Britt's hand moved.

"I can assume that we have been kidnapped by some pervert who probably wants to kill and rape us." Santana pulled her hands out of the ropes and rubbed her sore wrists.

Brittany moved to let Quinn out. The ropes fell and she rubbed at her sore wrists.

"And what is the plan?"

"Well, step one was get out of ropes and that has been succeeded. So I guess step two is get the hell out of here."

"Really, San that is so helpful. Possible exits?"

Santana honestly was really surprised at how she was taking this. She had expected rage and outburst from her. Well...Quinn had been extremely unpredictable lately so she really should not have been surprised.

"Haven't checked them yet...just got untied...you know that sounds really kinky."

"Head out of gutter Satan," Quinn quipped. "We need to get out of here so focus on that."

She rolled her eyes but complied.

"Well this car appears to have no windows and no doors." She crawled to the farther end and felt along the wall. She located a handle, easy enough even though she had missed it before. She turned it, hoping that maybe it would be unlocked. No such luck.

"Locked door," she announced.

"Hey San, where's Tina?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. I assumed that maybe the kidnapper doesn't like Asians. There are worse possibilities but-"

"Don't go there, San."

"I won't. Sorry...Just worried."

"Same," she replied.

"Maybe if we bang on the walls someone will notice us," Brittany said. "We must be driving down a road and there are normally other people on roads...maybe they will see us and call for help."

Quinn and Santana looked to each other. The idea had not even crossed their minds.

"Worth a shot," Quinn agreed.

Santana shrugged and moved to a wall, her and Britt teamed up on one side leaving Quinn alone on the other. And they hit the walls. The sounds echoed through the back and they were certain that the kidnapper had heard them by now. The idea did not even ring danger in their minds since they were so focussed on escape.

It only took a while for Quinn to realize that she couldn't hear any cars outside.

She pounded harder, her finger stubbed against the metal but she didn't stop.

They were probably traveling via long winding back roads. There probably was no one for miles around. And, she thought, if there were...what would they do? It would only be a second that they would pass them...so would they even bother or just pass it off as hearing things?

She added her vocal pleas for help along with the pounding. Her voice soon caught in her throat. She needed a drink. She was regretting all that chocolate by now.

They hit them until their fists started to bleed. It never seemed to do any good.

But as Quinn said, it was worth a shot and what else were they supposed to do? What other chance did they have? It was impossible just to sit and worry now. There had to be a chance, there just had to be.

Miles away and high above the girls, there was a helicopter. A young girl sat staring out of the window, not speaking a word to the pilot. He did not seem up for conversation either and did not bother with her.

Below her was a series of streets, inhabited. She observed as the streets turned from cities to suburbs and eventually to rolling fields and dirt paths. She then could only make out a few houses. This place was really remote and as much as she tried she could not pinpoint her exact location. This worried her and let it take the higher among her many worries.

All the while she wondered: What have I done?

* * *

They were moving again. Rachel often wondered how many small inns Jan had in her power. How many people had she terrified into helping her? Once again they traveled by helicopter and once again Rachel was lost.

It seems that Jan was moving them farther into the countryside so that she wouldn't be able to run away. All the inns that they had stayed in had been pretty remote however this one was even more so. Rachel could not even see a town anywhere within the vicinity.

It was just all snow covered fields and trees. In another time Rachel might have thought it beautiful, picturesque, something that you would see on the back of a postcard, strangely and oddly perfect. However in the current situation she was unable to find beauty in anything.

"How long will we stay here?"

"Until its time," Jan replied. She didn't explain farther and Rachel knew better than to ask.

She was put into a room and the door was locked behind her. She sighed and as usual looked around for possible escape routes. And as usual there were none. The window was locked and so was the door. There were no secret tunnels, she was alone.

Alone; in a room that was mostly empty except for a bed, a dresser and a small empty chest. A door led to an on suite bathroom and she considered having a shower. She honestly had stopped caring if Jan was watching or not.

Instead she lay down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. She started counting the cracks in the wood and started thinking about Quinn.

She did very little these days. Her thoughts were always consumed by the blonde, no matter what the situation.

She could never stop thinking of her. Just everything that they once had, it kept her going even when she felt like she couldn't go on. She was always there, just the blink of an eye away. She was glad for it.

Now she finally understood all those songs about love and loss. About being away from the one you love, how horribly painful that is.

_This is amazing song writing material,_ she thought. _Amazing Broadway material even...if I ever get out of this...I will compose something of that nature. I promise...I will compose it, I know it._

Under her breath she muttered lyrics. Lyrics from songs of all kinds and genres...in the end she came up with a strange remix that even she couldn't understand. She would start one song and switch over into another a few lines in, occasionally going back to that one after a while.

She sang in Russian. She sang in French, Hindi and Dutch and a little Swedish though her accent was awful. She sang songs about love and songs about losing love. She sang about freedom and imprisonment. She sang songs from all over the world, top forty and songs that no one knows but really should.

Jan watched with fascination as this occurred. Rachel was such a sweet mystery to her. She could never understand how she could catch her attention so easily.

_Can we fly?  
Do I stay?  
We could lose  
We could fail..._

* * *

Rachel was still singing. She was running out of songs to sing and she was running out of breath. She stopped for a moment to catch it back and tried to sort through song lyrics in her mind. Sometimes it was difficult to remember so many different songs.

When she heard footsteps, she sat up right away. She expected it to be Jan. She was prepared. She held back her fear and sat up straight on the bed.

So she sat and faced the door while she listened to it being unlocked. The door opened quick- a person was shoved inside then it was closed again. She fell to the ground, her blonde hair a mess around her face. She looked as though she hadn't showered in days. She looked as though she hadn't felt in days...she looked like a broken person. An utterly broken person, who still clung to hope of escape, of rescue...

She flipped herself around and tried to shake the door open. Her finger nails scratched at the door knob in a frantic attempt of escape.

"Q-Quinn-"

She froze in her efforts and turned around slowly. She could hardly believe what she was seeing.

"Rachel?"

She nodded a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon spreading across her face.

Quinn didn't move. Rachel stood and walked the few feet to her.

"I'm going to hug you now," she announced.

Quinn however wrapped her arms around her before she could even finish the sentence. She burrowed her face into her shoulder, the option to let go never crossed her mind. She wished that she could stay here forever.

Rachel smiled and hugged her closer.

"I-I thought that I would never see you again." She whispered against her hair.

"I'm here now...Not going anywhere."

"Thank god for that," Rachel breathed. "Quinn...can I kiss you or-"

Quinn's lips locked with hers and the world melted away around them. The cameras watching didn't matter anymore. Jan didn't matter anymore. The reason that they were stuck here didn't matter.

All that mattered was Quinn's arms around her and her light kiss against her lips.

They pulled away, a bit breathless.

"I love you," Quinn whispered.

"Love you too," Rachel said without a question in her mind. "I'm sorry that I got us into this mess...I just didn't know-"

"It is alright...we are going to get out of here."

"Q, there are cameras everywhere and everything is locked...I've checked."

"There will be a way out, I promise. But for now, kiss me again. I missed you."

"I missed you too."

* * *

"San," Brittany asked.

"Yes?" She replied, through a yawn. She must have fallen asleep again. She suspected the creepy stalker had drugged them to get them back into the house. She couldn't remember being knocked out again. She wondered when the serial killer creepiness would start. Had Brittany found some way to escape-

"Why are we in a closet?"

Her eyes shot open and she took in her surroundings. Britt sat against a wall, hugging her knees to her chest. Above her a single light bulb blinked out giving the room an eerie light. Empty shelves covered one side of the room, Santana was closest to them. They gave off a strange scent, a smell that Santana refused to describe as iron like. A few moth eaten blankets were spread out on top of old wood floors. The entire area was caked in a layer of dust and a least a dozen cobwebs hung from the shelves and the ceiling.

"I don't know, Britt but I came out of the closet once so doing it a second time shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

She smiled and nodded. Santana felt herself melting by that one gesture. Oh spaghetti gods above, she loved this girl. She loved her more than anything and the fact that she could make her smile in such an occasion was solid evidence of that.

Santana stood, a bit wobbly on her legs from laying on them for so long. How long had they been in here? The door, as was expected was locked. She tried everything she could think of. She shoved the door forward, she pulled it back but it didn't budge. She even tried to wrestle a bobby pin inside of it, but it only got stuck.

She had to spend five minutes pulling it out again.

"Shit," she muttered as she tried to rip it back out. What the hell had it gotten caught on?

"Are we stuck here, San?"

The voice was so sad and so innocent that it made her resolve crumble instantly.

"No we are not," she replied with confidence. "I will get us all out of here. I promise."

She abandoned the half of bobby pin and went to sit by Brittany.

Brittany held up her pinky and Santana locked them together.

"I promise," She repeated.

She did something that she rarely ever did. She wrapped her arms around her and just held onto her. Britt seemed a bit surprised but cuddled into her just the same. Hell even Santana was surprised by her own actions.

"We will be alright," Santana whispered to her. "Just fine-"

She couldn't bear to tell her the truth. She never could when it came to Brittany. She just took everything she had. She was so innocent and so lost in all of this. As far as Santana was concerned she really had no idea of the trouble they were in.

And she didn't wish to enlighten her.

All she could do was hope that it wouldn't get to the point where she would have to.

After a few moments she swallowed all the pride she had left and said three little words that she had been holding off for quite some time now. She was getting fearful that she may not have another chance to say it.

"I love you," she whispered into her ear.

She could feel Brittany's smile against her arm.

"I love you too, San. You should know that by now."

Santana laughed. "I'm sorry it took so long to enlighten you."

"No problem, I knew you would eventually. I was willing to wait."

"Even if I never said how I really felt about you and we just kept banging at random times?"

"Even then...I'm not opposed to the sex though."

"You really are just special Brittany."

"Like a unicorn," she replied.

"Exactly like a unicorn," she said.

Brittany cuddled closer to her and Santana was glad for her warmth. In truth she had no idea what she meant by saying that she was a unicorn however she was willing to let it go. For anyone else she would have come up with a few well chosen snappy lines and horrid nicknames...but this was Brittany. She was beautiful, kind and innocent. All of the good things there are in this miserable stinky world and most importantly-

She was hers.

* * *

A few rough knocks to the door broke the moment. Santana almost started screaming in Spanish when it occurred to her that they could escape. They would just have to wait until the creep is away from the door and they could just run.

She shook Britt awake and motioned to the two sides of the door. She nodded and they crawled over together. Santana held a finger to her lips and glanced back up at the door handle. It was shaking as if someone was trying to open the door without the key.

Then she noticed it, her bobby pin was successfully keeping them in and the creeper out. Silently she reached up and attempted to wrestle the piece still left inside out.

A few curse words came from the outside.

She worked faster.

Finally she managed to wrestle it free.

But now she was in front of the door.

And a door that was now coming down on top of her.

It hit her before she even moved. She was frozen and stuck under the weight. She could feel herself being squished into the wood but she tried not to cry out. Even as she heard a loud snap coming from the other end of the door. She bit down on her lip until she could taste blood. It felt warm in her otherwise dry mouth.

She felt a bit sick.

"Tried to escape I see. Naughty, naughty, naughty girls..."

She knew that voice. It was that demon Jan or whatever her real name was.

"Please let San out!" She heard Brittany cry. She couldn't see it but Brittany was trying to lift the door, she couldn't get a good grip and kept slipping. "Please!"

She smiled. At least she could rely on Britt for support.

"Lift the door," Jan commanded.

The weight was lifted off her but she felt as though it hadn't been moved. She couldn't move. Brittany was beside her now, lifting hair off her face.

"You need to help her," she said.

"A few broken bones never hurt anyone but if you insist I will get my personal doctor to look her over." She then shouted that command to her guards. Santana was lifted off the ground with very little care to her injuries.

Brittany stood up, ready to follow her wherever she went. Jan stopped her.

"Where do you think that you are going?"

"With Santana, we are together now and she is still my best friend...so I need to make sure that she is okay. That YOU did not hurt her."

"You're adorable but no. I need you for the final battle. Santana appears to be otherwise engaged-"

"Santana's not getting married-"

"That is not what I meant."

"But it is what you said." Brittany pointed out. "Please, can I go with her?"

Puppy dog eyes had no effect on her apparently. Brittany determined that this meant she was not human.

"No, she is fine. I have the finest doctor on standby for her. She will recover great. You however need to check into your room and get yourself ready."

"For the final battle," she asked.

"That would be it."

She cocked her head to the side. "But I don't want to fight my friends."

"You won't be fighting them." She paused and added a little smirk. She now had Brittany blocked into a corner. She placed her hands above her head and smiled down at her.

"You will be fighting yourself."

"You're really hot."

"Thank-you," she said.

"At least...in the battle we'll all be evenly matched." She stammered.

"Exactly," she said. "Now go upstairs with my guard and take a good long shower, get dressed in the clothes I have set out for you and maybe get some rest if you have time after that. The battle is tonight."

Jan turned and marched out of the closet.

"Easy, just like San said," Brittany muttered.

A guard came inside and took her arm. She let him circle her wrist in his monkey fists.

"Off to see the wizard," she asked.

He didn't respond.

"Well...you are no fun at all."

He escorted her- roughly- up the stairs. He didn't understand that she would have followed him anyway without his force. She tried once to tell him that but he must not have believed her because he dragged her even more forcibly.

She rolled her eyes and just looked around her. She memorized the walk from the closet to her room on the second floor. She might need that information later.

"Thanks," she said once he had shut and locked the door behind him.

Brittany walked into the room and sat on the edge of the bed. Beside her was a pair of yellow jeans and a tight black button-up shirt. An extra pair of underwear and a sweater lay beside it. A pair of shoes sat next to the bed; two socks were crammed into one shoe.

Jan had thought of everything. But Brittany wondered as she sat there: _How did she know her bra size? _

She knew that she should probably be worrying more about Santana but the thought wouldn't go away. Had she been spying on all of them as well as Rachel?

In that case, Santana was just being nice when she said that they would be alright. If this lady knew her bra size then who knows what else she could know.

"She could kill us," she said to the empty room. "She really could."

A camera trained in on her from one of the corners. She stared straight into the lens as if challenging it.

"Santana better be fine, bitch."

* * *

The sunset was beautiful. The oranges and pinks blurred over the hills. Jan stared out the window and smiled. She was soon going to get everything she had ever wanted.

And yet, a nagging little voice in the back of her mind yelled for her attention.

_She probably doesn't even remember. _

_This is pointless, Sophie. _

_You can have anything you want...that party...you could get into it. Go through with your pretend plans instead of your real ones. _

_Is she really worth it?_

"Yes, she is." She said. "She is so worth it and I need to let her know that."

The sun lowered into the hills and the sky began to darken, slowly as if waiting off impending doom.

_Buzz...buzz...buzz..._

She smirked and switched off the alarm on her phone. It was time.

_There is still the chance to turn back, you know. _

"I know," she said. "No way am I turning back now."

* * *

_All prisoners assemble in the courtyard. Do not try to run, there is nothing for miles. Be down there within five minutes or face serious consequences. _

* * *

All throughout the house, panic began. The announcement had signaled all through the home and even the guards were beginning to get a bit nervous. This was it, their contract was nearly up.

In a room on the first floor, a doctor turned to look at his patient. She had basically been crushed under a door. Thankfully there was not any damage that he couldn't fix. She had two broken legs and her wrist's bone had basically snapped in half.

She was in no condition for this challenge.

Santana was still under some intense pain killers and was in and out of consciousness. He sighed, knowing that when his boss told him to do something that would mean that he would need to do it.

"I suppose, miss you will need to be wheeled out," he said in a thick accent. Santana found that she could not place it in her current state. She only sleepily nodded as he called over some help to wheel her out.

"Make sure that her legs stay elevated," he explained. "Also get Jan her medicine. I know that she has been avoiding it today. We can't have that, clear?"

The guard nodded and left with Santana without a word. The doctor grumbled some incoherent words under his breath as they left. He really was not being paid enough for this.

Upstairs, Rachel held Quinn's hand. The camera in the above corner had died. The two girls may or may not have been involved in said murdering of the camera.

"It will be fine," she told her. "We can escape if-"

"But you heard the announcement there is nothing around here."

She shook her head. "I saw a town a while back...It would take a few hours to walk there but we can make it. I still have no clue where we are but-"

Quinn nodded. "I will have to take your word for it then."

Rachel lightly kissed her cheek.

"We will get out of here and we will be able to do that many, many times over. Understand?"

Quinn smirked and kissed her straight on the lips.

"As long as there is plenty of that...I will be fine."

"Fantastic," she replied. "Now let's get down to the courtyard before we get in trouble."

They held each other's hands as if the other was a light in the darkness. They would be alright...as long as they had each other.

Down the hall, an empty room sat. Brittany had sprinted down to the courtyard. She was ready. She needed to show Jan that she could not take advantage of her just because she was not as intelligent as most people.

She needed to show what she had to offer.

What she had to offer the world.

* * *

The courtyard was lit up with glass lanterns over the snow. It looked beautiful except for Jan who stood in the centre of it all. She stood in a small building covered with those lanterns.

She stared at the girls as they all arrived. They lined up in front of her. It was kind of endearing how they all held hands during this. The second they all arrived, they didn't say a word to anyone else. They simply held onto each other.

If Jan was not the one causing the occasion she might tear up a little at the adorability of it all. But she held herself strong since she was the one in charge after all.

"Evening ladies any questions before we start?"

"A few," Rachel piped up.

"Ask away, we have time."

_For what?_

"Where is Tina?"

She smirked. "Oh, so you have yet to figure that one out then?"

"What do you mean?"

"It is a bit obvious however more on that later. Ask any other question, please."

"I want to know where Tina is," Rachel insisted.

Quinn's hand tightened around her own. She gave her a reassuring smile.

"More than you want to know what will happen to you and your friends. My, that is sweet."

"Yes, yes it is. She is our friend and I think I...I mean we should know what has happened to her."

"Fine, I was hoping to use that later though I'll reveal it now. Cliché as it is, your 'friend' is a traitor."

"W-what do you mean?" Santana crocked out from the rolled out bed. Brittany had sat down next to her and was holding her hand tightly. She glared at Jan. She had never seen Brittany so angry.

"I mean that she gave away information about you all so that this wonderful meeting could be made possible." She explained. "Oh, do come in Tina!"

She had turned towards a door in the back of the building. It did not open.

"Tina, do come in!"

She groaned and stomped off to the door. She yanked it open.

"Tina!"

"Sorry, the door is a thick and-"

"Just get in here," she said.

Jan marched back to her place in the centre of the room. Tina nervously followed her. It wasn't two seconds after she had entered that Santana had started screaming angrily...in Spanish.

"Tina, we trusted you." Quinn snapped. "Does the word friend mean anything to you?"

Rachel didn't say a word. She just glared and Tina had the strangest feeling that she had the perfect song to burst out singing at that moment. Knowing Rachel she did.

"Tina," Brittany asked. She let go of Santana's hand and calmly walked over to her. Tina was nearly ready to back away when she grabbed both of her hands.

"What are you doing?" Rachel snipped, finally deciding to add her own input.

"I am not judging her before she has even had the chance to say anything. She is my friend and I want to hear what happened, from her."

Santana fell back onto her pillows, her voice parched from her screaming sentence.

"I-I'm sorry," she said. "I never meant to hurt anyone, really."

"Then what did you mean to do exactly?"

"I meant...to get attention. It sounds stupid, I know but I am always in the background. No matter how many times I try. No matter how many rewards I win...no matter how high my grades are...I can never get the chance to be heard. I just feel so invisible and...Oh god I'm sorry!"

Brittany right away and without question wrapped her arms tightly around her.

"We still love you," she whispered. "I still love you...you're my friend...no matter what."

The other girls watched for a moment before joining in. Tina sighed happily at least they didn't hate her for it. They might never truly trust her again but at least she was still their friend and that is what really mattered.

"Yo! Bring some loving over here. I'm not getting any younger."

Laughing they repositioned their group hug over San's bed.

Jan clapped, slowly. Quinn was beginning to wonder if she studied old comic books because she was the perfect stereotype villain.

"Fantastic, ladies I am so glad that we are all such good friends. Now back to the matter at hand, your impending fate. Shall I enlighten you on what is...I mean what is going to...happen...and..."

Jan began to feel light headed. Her eyesight blurred and her head began to pound. As if in slow motion, her legs gave out under her. She hardly even noticed the difference.

"H-happen and..."

Her eyes lolled and her face lost all emotion.

"What is happening with her?" Someone asked. Jan couldn't place who it was. She couldn't place anything at the moment. She saw the girls rush towards her while her vision continued to blur.

Her head hit the floor and it all went black.

* * *

**Author's note-**

**One more chapter left, ladies and gentlemen. I'm sorry for the clifthanger but I will probabaly be posting the last chapter by Friday...Anyways I hope you liked this chapter and thank you for sticking through my very much irregular chapter posting. **


	10. December-Part three

_Could I ever believe such a perfect surprise?_

_-All the things she said by T.A.T.U_

* * *

December-Part three

"...and that was when the doctor burst in and yelled at us for not making sure that she had had her medication. He refused to explain to us what was wrong...we still don't."

Mr Johnson checked over his notes and glanced back up at Rachel. In a horribly monotone type voice he explained.

"The woman that you knew as Jan. Birth name: Sophie Nadolski had a brain tumor which caused her to fall into shock after so long without her medication. The medication she was on kept the pain away and also kept the seizures to a minimum however they could not hold up forever. This doctor of hers is a genius...I had never seen anything like the treatment he had her on."

"Me neither," she said. "He seemed a little insane though...how obsessed he was with her...I guess that comes from being a parent, right?"

He nodded. "Indeed it does, it does. I should know I have three of my own and if my daughter was dying I would do whatever it would take to keep her going...though this is a bit extreme."

"It was," she said.

"What happened after that?"

"After that he shoved a needle into her arm. She stopped, fell limp and he seemed pleased about it. He said he was sorry for snapping out on us. He refused to tell us much but handed us over to a pair of servants to help us. They called a helicopter to bring Santana to the hospital. Of course we all demanded to go as well. He never even suggested sending Jan...Oh I mean Sophie to the hospital as well. I guess he just doesn't trust many people with her."

Mr Johnson scribbled down a few more notes.

She continued talking.

"Well you know the rest from there. We were taken to the nearest hospital in New Jersey and Santana was given treatment. Parents were called, school was called and...Some things were explained."

"What kind of things?"

"Like Sophie's father is the doctor and how she had managed to get so many people under her control. It's insane, I think. She offered all of them a lot of money...like enough to land themselves on the billionaire list. She made that money by selling stories to the press so going to a school with kids that have very important parents...helped out with that. She gathered enough information to buy out so many people. It was like she had her own secret society or something. I never thought that was even possible to be honest."

"Oh trust me, Miss Berry it is very possible. We deal with this kind of thing, unfortunately very often. I am glad that you girls managed to figure this all out...Who knows what would've happened if you hadn't."

Rachel knew, but some things were meant to be left secrets.

"Miss Berry I just have one question and then you can go. Do you know, why?"

"Why what?"

"Why she did all of this? What was her motive?"

Rachel gnawed on her lip.

"No, sir I don't have the faintest idea."

"Are you certain?"

"Absolutely," she lied.

"Thank-You Miss Berry for your information on this case, we will let you know if anything else is needed."

He scribbled down a few more notes as she said her goodbyes and left. Outside the office, a blonde girl sat on a very uncomfortable waiting room chair. She had just finished her interview with Mr Johnson but had promised to wait for Rachel despite her arguments. She looked over to her and smiled.

"Come on, I hear that visiting hours are starting up soon."

She stood and held out her hand. Rachel accepted and they walked down together.

"Quinn...Are you okay? With everything that is happening now?"

She stopped and turned to her.

"If anything I feel horrible...It is all my fault."

"No it is not! I will tell you as many times as possible in order to get that through your thick blonde skull. You could not have stopped this. How could you have known that she would keep a grudge for this long? I mean, god one kiss when you were twelve and suddenly-"

"It was her first kiss. Girls like Sophie are very obsessive with those types of things." She sighed. "If anything that kiss was an experiment and I feel horrible for taking that away from her."

Rachel grabbed both of her hands and stared her straight in the eye.

"If anything, Quinn I feel bad that your first kiss was with a raging psychopath."

Quinn had to smile. She had to laugh.

"Don't forget your first kiss that actually counts was with-"

"You," they chimed in unison.

"We will be alright, Rachel...won't we?"

"Yes, I think we will."

* * *

Hours passed, while most of the time was spent next to Santana's hospital bed or pacing the hallways.

That was when the parents began to arrive.

Rachel's dads came first. Quinn's earlier thought of them not caring about their daughter because of their lack of spending money sent her way was dashed. The second Leroy and Hiram entered the building, Rachel's face lit up and she ran into their arms. She was lifted off the ground as if she had changed back into a six year old again.

She eagerly chatted with them, promptly forgetting Quinn's existence.

That was okay. She needed it. So she just wandered off by herself for a while and watched as more concerned parents began to show.

Tina was chatting away with her dad in Chinese. It looked as though they hadn't chatted in a while, Quinn wondered why but she didn't ask. It was obvious how uncomfortable her father looked however chose to ignore it for once.

"I'm proud of you Tina," he said after he was given the chance to speak again.

She just stood there shell-shocked for a moment before she threw her arms around him. He looked so adorably confused for that first second that Quinn had to hide her giggle. He wrapped his arms around her and patted her on the back, still uncomfortable but adjusting to anyway.

It was a start, Quinn could see it already.

A few hours later and everyone's parents/siblings were counted for except for Quinn's. She had not expected anything.

Even after she had called her mother- she had gone straight to the answering machine- and left a message. She did not expect her to show up for her. After all the things she had done...she didn't deserve her help. So she wandered back into the waiting room and hovered outside of conversations, occasionally offering a comment here and there.

She kept her opinion to herself however. She just tried to keep her mind off of her mother during those few hours. They would have to go back to school soon and she needed to focus on how much homework she was bound to have missed in that time.

Hours later, she slept on a couch in the waiting room. Her bag lay at her feet [Rachel's dads had gathered their things from the hotel before coming to the hospital] and her phone buried under many piles of clothing, buzzed.

She shifted in her sleep but did not hear it. Even as a few more calls came in, she did not answer her mother's calls.

Across the ocean, her mother was dressed in a black veil as she tried once again to reach her. She called over and over again. She never stopped but after a while a tear began to drip down her cheek. This time she let it fall.

She had lost her husband already. She would not lose her daughter.

But with every call, she felt her resolve slip away. All of her responsibilities slipped away. So after trying for countless times, she dialed a different number.

"Hello, I will need one ticket to Ohio, America. First class if available and also a window seat, if possible. Though I am not picky about this trip-"

"How soon will you need-"

"Now, I need it now. As soon as I can possibly get a ticket-"

"You will be leaving in two days, your highness."

"Thank-you," she said. "Just thank-you-"

* * *

Life soon fell back into place. The girls were sent back to school. Santana in a wheelchair that Brittany pushed around everywhere, she seemed very amused by the idea. Santana was not at first but after a while she agreed and claimed that she made it look sexy. Strangely enough she did not mind Britt pushing her around sometimes though on more than one occasion she would have her stand on her foot rest and she would push her around.

Quinn had never seen two people more happy. She was the most pleased when she saw Santana publicly call Brittany her girlfriend as if it was not that big of a deal. But it was a big deal and she could see it in every move those two made around each other.

Santana had come a long way and she was proud of her for it.

As for Tina, she still felt guilty. She tried to apologise on every given opportunity. She never seemed to be able to forgive herself for everything that she has done. Quinn still had not fully forgiven her and found it difficult to tell her things even though she knew that she did not have any connections with Sophie, not anymore.

Sophie was currently in a holding cell pending a trial in a few months. She had no contact anywhere with anyone now. And for that they were all grateful.

And for Quinn, she was still getting used to having almost everything she had ever wanted. She had the girl in pink now, her conquest was over and she had never been happier.

She could hold her girl in her arms all night and not have to worry about her being snatched away again. She was happy, something that she hadn't been in a long time and she hoped that the feeling would stay. Forever, however cliché that might sound.

* * *

It December 18th, the last day before Christmas holidays and the school campus was in frenzy as was expected before a major holiday. Quinn walked back to her dorm room alone. She carried her books tight to her jacket.

She was covered up in three different layers of sweaters with her jacket on overtop. She wore a hat over her ears and a pair of woolen mittens. And yet she was still shivering. She really needed to invest in a real winter coat.

As she walked back she became aware of the fact that there was someone behind her. As she went on she could hear footsteps coming up behind her. She considered texting Rachel to come walk with her when-

"Quinn," the voice called out.

She froze, her hands started shaking of their own accord for a reason that had nothing to do with the cold.

She turned slowly and nearly dropped her books.

"I'm so sorry that I did not get to the hospital...flights are so hard to get out and I ended up in New Jersey first and-"

The books dropped and her arms were suddenly around her mother. She hugged her close vaguely recalling the last time she had hugged her...the memory was fuzzy and it was long before she had turned rebellious.

She pulled back.

"I am just so glad to see you."

"Me too, Quinn. Really, I am. I'm not just saying that I mean that. I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. I should not have forced you to come here, it was wrong and...After everything you have been through I feel awful for making you-"

"Don't worry...I don't see it as a negative...anymore at least. I have really good friends now and also a girlfriend...a real one not some random hook-up. I real living and breathing person who loves me just as much as I love her and it is amazing...so no I do not blame you...I should be thanking you...if anything."

"I am so glad to hear you say that...I thought...I thought you would hate me."

"I couldn't," she replied.

"Can I meet this girlfriend of yours?" She asked, with a smile.

The issue was that her mother never smiled. She was not entirely sure how to smile. She opened her mouth too wide and showed far too many teeth. At the moment, it was the most beautiful smile that she had ever seen.

"Of course, you can."

She gathered up her now damp books and led her mother back to her dorm. She had the strangest feeling deep inside of her, like anything could happen. She could be however or whatever she wanted and there would be no more restrictions.

Sure, her mother and her would still disagree. They would still get into arguments because of how similar they are and yet how different. Their ambition may be for very separate topics but it was still there. Quinn may not enjoy most of the things her mother finds important [Set in stone type important] however she hates most of the things that she loves.

So in general, they were human.

A petty fight between mother and daughter was something that happened every single day, in every single country and in every single language in the world.

They were no different than all of those women.

Though the royalty status leaves less arguments about money...

**The end**

* * *

**Author's note-**

**Thank-you. Thank-you for reading and accepting my horribly late updates [I promise that I will do better next time]. Thank-you for adding this to your favorites and alerts and for leaving reviews. This story has gotten more attention than I had ever expected it to and for that: Thanks [Even though I have said the word 'thank-you' way too many times in this farewell]. **


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